The Dodgers escaped with a one-run, 3-2 win over the Nationals on Friday and saw the return of leadoff man Juan Pierre.
Pierre went 1 for 4 with a run scored in his first game back after a stint on the DL while Delwyn Young was put on the 15-day DL to make room on the roster. Andre Ethier drew the short straw and sat on Friday to allow Pierre to play, which still left the slumping (even that word is too nice) Andruw Jones in the lineup. Jones did have a rare double, but went 0 for 2 with RISP, which drops his average to .075 in RISP opportunities. The Dodgers were down a run after the Nats scored one in the third, but they rallied for a three-run sixth inning to take the lead. Nomar came up with the bases loaded and smacked a two-RBI single to left-center before James Loney added an RBI-groundout.
Chad Billingsley earned his 10th win, which is good enough for the team high, while also lowering his ERA to 3.26, which is also a staff best. Billingsley gave up just two runs on five hits before leaving with two outs in the eighth. Jonathan Broxton relieved Billingsley with two runs on and two outs in the eighth. Broxton struck out Flores to end the inning and threw a 1-2-3 ninth for his third save, and did so by hitting 100 MPH twice on the gun in the ninth.
The Dodgers send Derek Lowe to the mound, who is a perfect 4-0 in four starts against the Nationals. The Dodgers will face a former teammate, veteran Odalis Perez, who is 3-7 this season.
