"The start of interleague play Friday was a mere side note for the Dodgers, who have been good at creating their own story lines lately. As one of the hottest teams in baseball, the Dodgers have kept on burning bright despite the temporary loss of their hottest hitter, Andre Ethier. So it wasn't like the Detroit Tigers were going to add much to the plot line, since the Dodgers had won 10 of their past 11 games and were on the verge of moving into first place in the National League West for the first time this year. The Dodgers' 4-1 victory came while the first-place Padres were getting crushed by the Seattle Mariners. Just how hot are the Dodgers right now? They handed it to the Tigers, who came in tied for first place in the American League Central, using Reed Johnson, Nick Green, Ronnie Belliard and A.J. Ellis in the starting lineup. As it has been for the past two weeks, the Dodgers' catalyst has been pitching. Chad Billingsley had the honors Friday and he sliced through the third-best hitting team in the AL with relative ease."