SAN FRANCISCO -- If you doubted the Dodgers because they didn't have any top-of-the-rotation starters to replace Brad Penny and Derek Lowe, Randy Winn has a little newsflash for you.Chad Billingsley is an ace-in-waiting, and he may not be waiting much longer.
Billingsley, the only 4-0 pitcher in the National League, will look to go 5-0 against Winn and the Giants on Tuesday night at AT&T Park.
"He's had the stuff to be a No. 1 starter," Winn said. "It's just the teams he's played for they had some more experienced guys, like Penny and Lowe. Now those guys aren't there, so people are looking at him in a different light, but people who had to face him the last few years know he's been really good."
This season Billingsley has compiled a 2.05 earned run average on his way to victories in all four of his starts. It's not a total out-of-nowhere start, because last year he was16-10 with a 3.14 ERA. In his big league career, spanning parts of four seasons now, he's 39-19, 3.26.
What makes the 24-year-old righty so good?
"He's always in the strike zone, so he keeps you on your heels," Winn said. "He pounds the strike zone with all his pitches: fastball, curveball, cutter and change."
On April 13, Billingsley dominated the Giants for seven innings, striking out 11 and walking none. In his career, he's 4-0 with a 3.33 ERA against San Francisco.
"He's always had great stuff and he's always pitched well against us," Winn said. "Sadly to say, that's what we're used to seeing."
Billingsley shrugs it all off, as if he had just read Crash Davis' book of cliches.
"It's still early," Billingsley said. "I'm just going to continue what I'm doing, try not to do too much, stay within myself and trust my stuff. Just get ahead of hitters and try to get that first out."
