CINCINNATI — Right-hander Homer Bailey gave the best performance of his career Friday night, holding the NL’s top team scoreless for eight innings, and the Cincinnati Reds held on to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 for their season-high fifth straight victory.
Bailey (4-4) allowed only seven singles and had a career- high seven strikeouts while going eight innings for the first time in his career. Bailey talked manager Dusty Baker into letting him pitch out of a threat in the eighth, when he retired Manny Ramirez on a flyball and fanned Casey Blake with two runners aboard.
Nick Masset gave up a solo homer to James Loney, starting a wild ninth. Closer Francisco Cordero came on and loaded the bases with two outs, let in a run on a wild pitch and got Ramirez on a called third strike to end it.
Jonny Gomes had an RBI single and a solo homer off Chad Billingsley (12-8), who lasted five-plus innings.
The Dodgers took two of three in Colorado, their closest pursuer in the NL West, then headed to Cincinnati to play an injury-ravaged team on its best stretch of another lost season.
Los Angeles manager Joe Torre wondered before the game whether there might be a bit of a letdown for the Dodgers coming off their big series against the Rockies.
