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Padres invade Chavez Ravine

Jul 8, 2011 - 2:54 PM (Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will both be facing sizeable deficits in the National League West race when they come out of next week's All-Star break.

One club will look to get the jump on a comeback bid tonight when the division rivals start up a three-game set at Dodger Stadium.

Nine games under .500 at 40-49, the Padres trail the first-place San Francisco Giants by 10 games and sit in fourth place overall in the division. The last- place Dodgers, at 38-51, sit two games further back of the pace.

Los Angeles hopes it created some momentum on Thursday, riding the arm of Clayton Kershaw to a 6-0 victory over the New York Mets to halt a five-game losing streak. Kershaw scattered five hits over eight innings, falling one strikeout shy of his fourth straight double-digit strikeout performance. He became the first Dodger pitcher to fan nine or more in four straight starts since Hideo Nomo in 1996.

The Dodgers held a players-only meeting before the game and Matt Kemp, who drove in two runs, said playing in front of the third sellout of the season also helped the club.

"It felt really good with the stadium packed," Kemp said. "We've seen a lot of yellow seats this season. It was a great atmosphere. Kershaw pitched a great game."

Aaron Miles also drove in two runs as Los Angeles broke the game open with a five-run sixth inning.

Chad Billingsley will hope for that kind of support as he tries to turn in a fourth straight solid outing. The righty gave up one earned run over 11 1/3 innings in consecutive winning starts before suffering a 3-1 loss to the Angels on Sunday.

Billingsley gave up all three runs over an eight-inning complete game. The Dodgers had scored 21 runs over his two winning starts before being held in check by the Angels. Outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. acknowledged afterwards that the offense can't let down Billingsley like that.

"We have to find ways to get guys in," said Gwynn. "When we don't, that puts pressure on Chad, who kept us in the game all night."

The 27-year-old Billingsley fell to 7-7 with a 4.15 earned run average in 18 starts at home, though his ERA in eight outings at home is 2.81. He is 10-7 with a 2.94 ERA in his career versus the Padres.

San Diego will look to get back on track tonight after dropping the final two contests of its four-game set with San Francisco. The Padres had won 10 of 13 before the losses, which includes a 2-1 defeat in Thursday's finale.

Cory Luebke gave up two runs over six innings and struck out a career-high eight batters, but the Padres only managed Ryan Ludwick's solo homer in the eighth inning.

"The fastball had life, he threw some good sliders and a couple of good curveballs, too," San Diego manager Bud Black told his team's website of Luebke. "Cory pitched aggressively -- pitched fast and to a good tempo. He had a game plan and he executed it."

The Padres lost their 17th one-run game of the season and announced afterwards that catcher Nick Hundley will undergo arthroscopic surgery Friday on his right elbow. Hundley has been bothered by an irritated tendon and is expected to miss 3-to-6 weeks.

Taking the hill in tonight's opener for San Diego is Mat Latos, who has lost three of his last four decisions to fall to 5-9 with a 4.26 ERA in 16 starts this season.

The righty dropped a 3-1 decision to the Mariners on Sunday, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks over six innings.

Latos, 23, has faced the Dodgers five times in his career, going 1-3 with a 3.12 ERA in that span.

The Padres and Dodgers have split six meetings so far this season, with San Diego having still won nine of the past 13 in the series.