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The last time the
Los Angeles Dodgers
faced San Diego, they had a fight in the dugout and fell 7 1/2 games behind the NL West-leading Padres.
Less than four weeks later, things have changed dramatically.
The first-place Dodgers (66-58) look to continue their remarkable surge Monday when they begin a three-game series against
the Padres (62-62) at Petco Park.
Los Angeles was swept in a three-game series against San Diego from July 24-26. The Dodgers lost the finale 10-3 in a game
in which
Brad Penny
and
Kenny Lofton
got into an argument in the dugout before teammates intervened.
San Diego's
Jake Peavy
summed up the mood of both teams after the victory.
''Today was a good win for the boys, coming in here and sweeping this team,'' he said. ''That puts them in a bad position
- 7 1/2 out with two months to go.''
It didn't turn out to be as bad a position as Peavy anticipated.
The Dodgers have won 19 of 22 games since that series to take over first place in the division. The Padres have dropped 15
of 23 in the same span and have fallen into a second-place tie with Arizona, four games back.
San Diego will make up ground if it continues its success against its NL West rivals. The Padres are 8-3 against the Dodgers
this year, although they've split six games at home.
They'll enter with some momentum after
Mike Cameron
's single with the bases loaded in the 10th inning gave San Diego a 2-1 victory over Arizona on Sunday.
''It was definitely a big lift for our morale,'' Cameron said. ''The Dodgers are chomping at the bit to knock the other teams
out.''
Los Angeles began a nine-game road trip by winning two of three games at San Francisco over the weekend. J.D. Drew drove in
six runs in the series, including a two-run homer in a 5-2 victory on Sunday.
''It's getting down to nitty gritty now so it's nice to win the series,'' Drew said. ''It's easy to get caught up in the adrenaline
rush playing in front of crowds like this. You just need to settle yourself down and take a nice, easy approach without adding
any extra stress on yourself.''
Nomar Garciaparra
also connected Sunday and went 5-for-11 with five runs in the series. He's had his share of problems against San Diego this
year, going 7-for-31 (.226) - his worst average against any NL West opponent.
Rookie starter
Chad Billingsley
(4-3, 3.16 ERA) has been one of the reasons for the Dodgers' resurgence. He's 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA over his last four outings
after striking out nine and giving up three hits over seven innings in a 4-0 victory over Florida on Tuesday.
''I just pounded the strike zone with all my pitches, threw everything for strikes,'' Billingsley said. ''I was just giving
the hitters too much credit. The last couple outings, I'd get ahead and just waste pitches. I didn't need to do that.
''I've been battling myself, that's all I can say, instead of believing in what got me here.''
The 22-year-old right-hander made his major league debut at Petco Park on June 15 and gave up two runs and six hits over 5
1-3 innings, but did not receive a decision in Los Angeles' 7-3 victory.
Veteran right-hander
Chan Ho Park
(7-7, 4.68) will oppose Billingsley. Park is 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA in his last four starts at home since beating the Dodgers
on June 13.
Park is 2-0 with a 4.76 ERA in three starts against Los Angeles this season.
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