Chad Billingsley sailed through five-plus innings, but he gave up a tying homerun in the sixth as the Nationals went on to beat the Dodgers, 5-4.
Billingsley had a perfect game ’til the fourth, and a no-hitter until the sixth innings with two outs. He then yielded two walks before Ryan Zimmerman tied the game with a three-run homerun. Billingsley finished the inning, after nine strikeouts on the night, and didn’t factor into the decision. George Sherrill was tagged for a run in the eighth and after the Dodgers tied it in the ninth, but the Nationals got the walk-off win with a one-out sacrifice fly in the ninth.
The Dodgers had spread out three innings by the time the Nats tied it in the sixth, and after the Nationals went ahead 4-3 in the eighth, they had a chance for a comeback in the ninth. The Dodgers managed to load the bases with no outs in the ninth, but only managed to squeeze home one run to tie it rather than take the lead. Furcal, Belliard, and Loney each had two hits on the night.
The Dodgers’ magic number now sits at two, as Vincente Padilla takes on J.D. Martin in Thursday’s rubber match.
