Rafael Furcal hit a leadoff homer against beleaguered Oliver Perez, Blake DeWitt connected for his first home run in the major leagues and the surging Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Mets 5-1. Matt Kemp also homered after being named NL player of the week for the first time earlier in the day, helping the Dodgers win for the ninth time in 10 games.
Chad Billingsley (2-4) allowed a run and five hits in six-plus innings, striking out four and walking four in his first career start against the Mets. The right-hander worked with men on base in every inning except the first, and stranded four runners in scoring position. Perez (2-3) lost his third straight start. (More baseball stories.)