Chad Billingsley, Luis Cruz lead Dodgers in 11-0 rout of Pirates

PITTSBURGH -- Chad Billingsley pitched eight scoreless innings and Luis Cruz drove in three runs as the Dodgers routed the Pittsburgh Pirates, 11-0, in a rain-delayed game Tuesday night.

It was the fifth win in the last six games for the Dodgers, who entered the night tied for first place with the San Francisco Giants in the National League West.

Billingsley (9-9) won his fifth consecutive start -- the first time the right-hander has done that in his seven-year career -- as he continued to bounce back from losing five consecutive decisions leading up to the All-Star Game break.

Cruz, called up from the minor leagues less than two months ago, had three of the Dodgers’ 13 hits and three runs batted in at PNC Park.

The Dodgers first scored against Pirates starter Kevin Correia (9-7) in the third inning when Shane Victorino grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Cruz from third base. It was Victorino’s 400th career run batted in.

After the Dodgers loaded the bases in the fourth inning, James Loney grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Matt Kemp.

Cruz then stroked a single to score Andre Ethier and Hanley Ramirez, giving the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.

Another Cruz single in the sixth inning again scored Ramirez, and A.J. Ellis’ sacrifice fly brought home Loney as the Dodgers’ lead widened to 6-0.

Cruz now has driven in 22 runs in 33 games since he made his big-league debut July 2.

The Dodgers added five runs in the ninth inning, including a two-run single by Ethier and a two-run double by Ramirez.

The start of the game was delayed nearly an hour by rain after a fast-moving storm hit downtown Pittsburgh about 15 minutes before the game’s 7:05 p.m. Eastern time scheduled start.

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