Padres Enter Pivotal Divisional Series

San Diego (77-65) at LA Dodgers (75-68), 7:10 pm, 4SD/1090/105.7

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - Jake Peavy looks to continue his dominance of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday when he takes the mound for the San Diego Padres in the opener of a three-game series. The Padres are 1 1/2 games in front of Philadelphia (76-67) in the National League wild card race. They are 2 1/2 games ahead of Los Angeles.

Peavy (16-6, 2.43 ERA), the major league leader in ERA, is 8-1 with a 2.28 ERA in 17 career starts vs. the Dodgers. He enters this contest seeking his seventh straight win against them. The 26-year-old Peavy also is looking to become the NL's first 17-game winner.

The Dodgers will counter with Esteban Loaiza (1-0, 3.86), who will be making his second start for his new team. He made his Dodgers' debut last Monday, allowing three runs and nine hits over seven innings in an 11-3 win over the Cubs. The 35-year-old righthander is 1-3 with a 4.41 ERA in 11 career games - eight starts - against the Padres.