DETROIT -- Joe Torre was describing Chad Billingsley as a potential leader, and the right-hander gets a chance to lead the Dodgers out of the darkness Tuesday night, when the Ohio native starts in Cincinnati against the Reds.

The Dodgers are in a tailspin, having lost 16 of 22. Billingsley has a personal losing streak of four decisions to stop, during which he's gone 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA, receiving no more than two runs of support in any of those starts. The Dodgers are 4-9 in his 13 starts.

"With his determination, his stuff, he has leadership qualities," Torre said of Billingsley. "One of these days, he'll be top dog on the staff. I base that on his personality on the field. There's a lot inside this kid that's very positive. He has very good makeup. The only thing he really needs to improve on is that he gets rushy. He wants to hurry up and pitch."

Before the series starts, the Dodgers have a day off in Cincinnati. They expect to learn late Monday night the results of an MRI on starter Brad Penny's right shoulder.

Penny flew home Sunday to be examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache after complaining of soreness before and during his 3 2/3-inning start Saturday. Penny has had discomfort on and off pretty much since he last won on May 2.

The Dodgers expect to have shortstop Angel Berroa back in time for Tuesday night's game. Berroa flew to the Kansas City after Sunday's game to be with his wife and new daughter, who was born Saturday.

Pitching matchup
LAD: RHP Chad Billingsley (4-7, 3.71 ERA)
Billingsley battled through three shaky innings against the Padres on Wednesday, allowing two homers for the second consecutive game, before settling into a groove that proved too little and too late. His velocity was fine, but his location was up and over the plate.

CIN: RHP Johnny Cueto (5-6, 5.42 ERA)
Cueto learned a hard lesson in his last outing. It's a lesson that will shorten his career if he doesn't master it. The message: throw strikes. He made 101 pitches against the Cardinals; just 50 were strikes. He issued three walks in the first inning, and all three scored on homers. A five-run first isn't a recipe for success, and Cueto will need to throw more strikes.

Tidbits
Infielder Andy LaRoche took a ground ball from the fungo bat of coach Larry Bowa off the nose when he was taking grounders during batting practice Sunday. LaRoche wound up with a bloody nose, but went back for more. He wasn't scheduled to start the game anyway. ... Triple-A infielder Chin-lung Hu was placed on the Las Vegas disabled list with a right eye problem and will see a specialist Monday. ... The Dodgers promoted pitcher Tanyon Sturtze, a favorite of Torre, from Double-A Jacksonville to Las Vegas on Saturday.

Tickets
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On the Internet
 MLB.TV
 Gameday Audio
•  Gameday
•  Official game notes

On television
• KCAL

On radio
• KABC 790, KHJ 930 (Español)

Up next
• Wednesday: Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda, 3-6, 4.04) at Reds (Bronson Arroyo, 4-5, 5.31), 4:10 p.m. PT
• Thursday: Dodgers (Derek Lowe, 4-6, 4.03) at Reds (Aaron Harang, 3-9, 4.10), 9:35 a.m. PT
• Friday: Dodgers (TBD) vs. Indians (TBD), 7:40 p.m. PT