Billingsley, Dodgers steamroll Braves

The Dodgers defeated the Braves 9-1 on Sunday night.

Starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens was done in by a 3-run HR by Matt Kemp in the fifth inning. The Dodgers wouldn't need to score again to win the game, but they went ahead and did it anyway.

Jurrjens pitched decently, especially considering the level of competition, throwing 5 innings in which he struck out five, walked two, gave up 10 hits, and allowed four runs to cross the plate.

It was the bullpen that blew the game wide open, giving up 5 earned runs in 4 innnings of relief, including three that were attributed to Boone Logan.

Dodgers pitching shut down the Braves offense on the strength of a performance by Chad Billingsley, who pitched five innings and struck out nine, walked one, and surrendered but two hits.



With the loss, the Braves fall five games back of the Wild Card-leading Rockies who beat the Rockies 6-4 in extra innings.

Jurrjens and Billingsley in battle of precocious RHPs

The Atlanta Braves take on the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight in a game that will feature two talented young right-handed pitchers: Jair Jurrjens for the Braves and Chad Billingsley for the Dodgers.

Billingsley profiles as a strikeout pitcher, averaging 8.5 K/9 IP this season and 9.0K/9 IP in 2008. But control of the strike zone has eluded him of late, walking 11 batters in his last 26 1/3 innings. Much like Jurrjens, Billingsley is following up a stellar season in 2008 with something of a step back in 2009 from a skills perspective (-.5 K/9, +.4 BB/9, -5 GB% this year relative to last).

But it's been Jurrjens who has picked things up of late, with lights-out performances in his last two starts (13 2/3 IP, 14 K, 2 BB, 3 ER). Jair will need to be in top form on Sunday night if the Braves are to shut down the Dodgers' formidable bats. Los Angeles leads the National Leage in On Base Percentage vs. Right Handed Pitchers, with a line of .271/.344/.403. It's worth noting that those numbers include 50 games in which Manny Ramirez did not play.