In a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 7, 2012, Billingsley recorded his 1,000th strikeout and in doing so, became the 12th Dodgers pitcher to reach the milestone. Billingsley finished the 2012 season with a 10-9 record and 3.55 ERA in 25 starts. On September 5, 2012, it was announced that Billingsley had a partial tear in his ulnar collateral ligament, the type that usually requires Tommy John surgery. Billingsley was shut down for the rest of the 2012 season.