Dodgers-Brewers Preview

5/15/2008 12:26 AM

By DAN PIERINGER
STATS Writer

The Los Angeles Dodgers were one of the hottest teams in baseball not long ago. After a week as one of the coldest, the Dodgers hope a late comeback victory can help them regain their momentum from earlier this month.

The Dodgers look to build on their first win in eight days as they close a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on Thursday.

Los Angeles (20-19) won 10 of 11 games from April 25-May 6, averaging 7.5 runs, batting .315 and posting a 3.32 ERA in that stretch.

The Dodgers thought they were finally coming together after a sluggish start under first-year manager Joe Torre, but they lost their next five games with 10 total runs, a .219 average and a 7.36 ERA during the skid.

However, Torre has reason to be optimistic after his club rallied for a 6-4 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday night. The Dodgers trailed 4-1 after six innings, but got two runs in the seventh and three in the ninth en route to their highest run total since a 12-7 win at Colorado on May 3.

"When you lose five games in a row and have to come back in somebody else's ballpark, hopefully this gets us back on track," Torre said. "A lot of good things happened. Hopefully we can build on it. Certainly was a good way to break a losing streak."

Los Angeles had been 0-18 when trailing after eight innings.

"Hopefully this win can get us back and track and hopefully everybody can settle down and just play baseball," said outfielder Juan Pierre, who hit the go-ahead two-run double off former Florida teammate Guillermo Mota in the ninth. "Overall, pitching and offense everybody is pressing a little bit. That's only natural when you don't win games."

The loss was the first in four games for the Brewers (20-20), who continue to have problems with their bullpen. Milwaukee is near the top of the majors with eight blown saves, and Brewers relievers have given up nine runs over 12 1-3 innings spanning the club's last five games (6.57 ERA).

The Brewers have lost 10 games in which they led at some point.

"I don't think we gave it away," Brewers manager Ned Yost said of Wednesday's game. "I think that they earned it."

The Milwaukee bullpen could get another chance to hold a lead with ace Ben Sheets (4-0, 2.53 ERA) taking the mound. The right-hander held St. Louis to three runs in seven innings on Saturday, but didn't get a decision as the Brewers fell 5-3. On-again, off-again closer Eric Gagne - rested Wednesday after throwing 60 pitches the previous two days - suffered the loss.

Sheets became the franchise leader in strikeouts in that game, fanning six to give him 1,086.

He's 3-5 with a 3.30 ERA in nine career starts against the Dodgers, including 1-1 with a 1.76 ERA in two starts against them in 2007.

Los Angeles outfielder Andruw Jones, batting .179 with one home run and 39 strikeouts in the first season of a two-year, $36 million contract, is 13-for-34 (.382) with two homers lifetime against Sheets. He was 2-for-5 Wednesday for his second multihit game with the Dodgers and first since April 15.

The Dodgers will hand the ball to Chad Billingsley (2-5, 4.89), who gave up five runs in five innings of a 5-0 loss to Houston on Saturday.

The right-hander has a 16.20 ERA in two relief appearances against the Brewers, and is making his first start against them.