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Padres-Dodgers Preview

Aug 5, 2010 - 6:37 AM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

San Diego (62-44) at Los Angeles (56-52), 10:10 p.m. EDT

The first-place San Diego Padres have had plenty of problems scoring against the Los Angeles Dodgers this year, and have yet to cross the plate when facing Chad Billingsley.

Billingsley looks to extend the longest active scoreless innings streak in the majors Thursday night at Dodger Stadium in the finale of a four-game set.

While San Diego (62-44) continues to surprise with the best record in the NL, it hasn't done much at the plate in losing seven of 11 meetings with Los Angeles (56-52). The Padres have scored three runs or fewer eight times, and three of their six shutouts have been at the hands of the Dodgers.

That was the case Wednesday night as Vicente Padilla threw a two-hitter for his fourth career shutout and added two hits in a 9-0 rout. Padilla took a no-hitter into the seventh inning.

The Padres used a 14-hit attack to win 10-5 in Monday's opener, and got a solo homer from Miguel Tejada in the first inning of Tuesday's 2-1 loss. San Diego has no runs and three singles in 17 innings since.

It should be tough to break out against Billingsley (9-5, 3.78 ERA), who hasn't allowed a run over his last 21 2-3 innings.

The right-hander pitched on three days' rest due to Clayton Kershaw's five-game suspension, and allowed two hits over 6 2-3 innings in Saturday's 2-1 loss at San Francisco.

"I kept the same mentality as I've been. We didn't have anybody slotted in there so I told Joe (manager Joe Torre), 'I'm ready,'" Billingsley said.

Billingsley has limited the Padres to seven hits in 45 at-bats over 13 1-3 scoreless innings in beating them twice this year. He's 6-1 with a 2.25 ERA in his last eight outings against San Diego.

Slugger Adrian Gonzalez is 10 for 40 in his career against Billingsley. The first baseman is 10 for 41 against Los Angeles this year, and 1 for 11 in this series.

The Dodgers could use another big effort from Billingsley given the state of their lineup. Catcher Russell Martin was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday for the first time in his career because of a hip injury sustained in Tuesday's victory.

"The fact that he's going to be on crutches for a while, certainly you know we're in it for the long haul. It's far beyond the two-week disabled list at this point in time," Torre said. "The most important thing is not necessarily getting him back, but that he gets better."

In addition, shortstop Rafael Furcal is expected to miss the rest of this seven-game homestand due to a back strain.

Los Angeles should have a favorable matchup against Kevin Correia (7-7, 5.06), who is 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA in two starts against the Dodgers this year. Infielder Jamey Carroll went 4 for 4 with three RBIs against him in those games.

Correia gave up three runs over six innings Saturday at Florida in a 6-3 loss - his first in five outings. The right-hander had been 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA in his previous four.

San Diego remained one game ahead of San Francisco for the NL West lead.