Loney's home run pushes Dodgers past Padres

Reporting from San Diego - Two Dodger pitchers learned today that they made the All-Star team.

One of them pitched like an All-Star. The other didn't.

Chad Billingsley was on his way to becoming baseball's second 10-game winner, only for closer Jonathan Broxton to give away a four-run lead in the ninth.

So the Dodgers had to play four more innings complete the job, requiring a solo home run by James Loney in the 13th inning to earn a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres and a series win.

The blown save was the third in 23 chances for Broxton.

Broxton labored through a 38-pitch inning, letting the runner he inherited from Billingsley score on a single by Will Venable, walking Eliezer Alfonzo with the bases loaded and giving up a two-out single to Everth Cabrera that tied the game at 6-6.

The game was nearly lost.

Alfonzo fell down rounding third base on Cabrera's hit, allowing Matt Kemp to throw him out to end the inning.

Until then, the day was shaping into something special for Billingsley, who was told by Manager Joe Torre in the morning about his All-Star selection and hit his first career home run in the fifth inning.

Billingsley was magnificent, limiting the Padres to three runs and four hits and striking out five in eight-plus innings. The only run charged to him through the eight innings came on a solo home run by Kevin Kouzmanoff in the fifth.

With Manny Ramirez sitting out the game to rest his legs, Andre Ethier got the Dodgers on the board in the second inning, crushing a pitch by Josh Banks over the fence in right-center to give them a 1-0 lead.

Casey Blake added three-run home run in the third inning that increased the Dodgers' advantage to 4-0. Billingsley was thrown out at the plate on a fielder's choice earlier in the inning, as he collided with catcher Eliezer Alfonzo but failed to jar the ball loose.

Billingsley homered two innings later, sending a pitch by Banks over the left-field wall. His blast was followed by a triple by Rafael Furcal, who was knocked in on a single by Juan Pierre to extend the Dodgers' lead to 6-0.

Pierre was 4 for 6.

The collapse started in the ninth when Billingsley gave up a solo home run to Chase Headley. He was taken out of the game upon giving up a double to Tony Gwynn Jr.