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The
San Diego Padres
have clawed their way back into first place in the NL West.
Now, they'll look to create some breathing room atop the division when they wrap up a four-game series with the
Los Angeles Dodgers
on Monday at Dodger Stadium.
The Padres (78-70) won 2-1 on Sunday to move a half-game ahead of the Dodgers in the West. Los Angeles (78-71) remains one
game ahead of Philadelphia for the wild card.
San Diego has won five of seven overall and leads the West for the first time since Aug. 9.
''We're in first place by a half a game, and tomorrow's game really separates the men from the boys, I believe,'' said
Russell Branyan
, who hit a solo homer. ''If we can go up a game and a half with 14 games left in the season, we'll be looking pretty good.''
The Padres, who entered this series a half-game behind the Dodgers, are 13-4 against Los Angeles this season, including 7-1
at Dodger Stadium.
''There's no rhyme or reason to it,'' San Diego manager
Bruce Bochy
said.
Pinch hitter
Terrmel Sledge
singled in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning Sunday and
Trevor Hoffman
earned his 475th save, moving him within three of
Lee Smith
's major league record.
Reliever
Cla Meredith
gave up a homer to
Russell Martin
in the seventh, ended his franchise-record stretch of 34 scoreless innings.
''I can look at it and praise myself, but there's a lot more important things going on right now - including this afternoon
and the way we won that ballgame,'' said Meredith, who had not allowed a run since July 17.
The Dodgers have dropped nine of their last 14 games. First baseman
Nomar Garciaparra
, nursing a strained left quad, did not start, but struck out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth and is expected to be back in
the lineup Monday.
''It was a tight game in a tight pennant race - and it's going to remain that way,'' Los Angeles manager Grady Little said.
Dodgers starter
Brad Penny
(16-8, 4.04 ERA) will look to become the NL's first 17-game winner in the finale. He pitched seven innings in Wednesday's
6-0 victory over Chicago, bouncing back from a 7-0 loss Sept. 7 in which he allowed a season-high seven runs in 5 2-3 innings.
Penny is 3-6 with a 5.94 ERA in 12 starts against the Padres. He has faced them three times this season, going 0-2 with a
9.00 ERA in those outings.
Penny allowed six runs in five innings of a 10-3 loss to San Diego on July 26.
Jake Peavy
, who starts Monday for the Padres, allowed two runs in seven innings to earn the win in that game.
Peavy (9-14, 4.17) gave up three hits in six innings of Wednesday's 10-0 win at Cincinnati. He threw 59 pitches, 41 for strikes,
in what manager
Bruce Bochy
said was ''the most efficient game he's pitched.''
Peavy also got plenty of help from a lineup that has managed two or fewer runs of support in 18 of his 29 starts this season.
''That was awesome,'' he said. ''It makes my job a whole lot easier when the boys swing the bats the way they did.''
Peavy is 6-1 with a 2.09 ERA in 12 starts against the Dodgers and has won both outings against them this season, giving up
two runs in 14 innings.
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