(My Sportsbook) - After gaining ground in the standings after a series win over the National League West's first-place team, the Los Angeles Dodgers will try to inch even closer to the top spot with a solid performance over the division's worst team.

Los Angeles shoots for a three-game sweep of the lowly San Diego Padres tonight at Dodger Stadium.

After taking two of three over front-running Arizona over the weekend, the Dodgers have won the first two games against last-place San Diego to get to within 1 1/2 games of the Diamondbacks.

Los Angeles' four-game winning streak, which has followed a season-high eight- game slide, has it just one game under .500 (69-70), a mark the Dodgers haven't been at since they were 65-65 on August 24.

San Diego, meanwhile, has the second worst record in the NL at 53-85, behind only the Washington Nationals (53-86).

In Tuesday's 8-4 victory, Clayton Kershaw threw seven-plus solid innings and Andre Ethier fell a double shy of the cycle. Manny Ramirez and Blake DeWitt each homered as well, while James Loney went 2-for-4 with two RBI to run his hitting streak to 13 games. He is batting .453 (24-for-53) over the run with two homers and eight RBI.

Los Angeles did see outfielder Juan Pierre leave in the seventh inning due to back stiffness on the same day second baseman Jeff Kent underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Hiroki Kuroda will try to pitch the Dodgers to their first three-game sweep of San Diego since doing so at home from April 15-17, 2005.

The Japanese rookie is winless in his last three starts (0-2), though, after getting a loss versus the Diamondbacks on Friday. Kuroda gave up four runs (2 earned) on four hits over five innings of work in his shortest outing since going 3 2/3 frames versus the Giants on July 28.

The right-handed Kuroda is 7-10 with a 3.87 earned run average this year and 1-1 in two outings with a 6.75 ERA versus the Padres. He allowed six runs over 2 1/3 innings against them on June 12, then had his next few starts skipped before landing on the disabled list due to a right shoulder injury that kept him out until July 2.

Essentially holding tryouts for the 2009 roster, the Padres will start 24- year-old Wade LeBlanc tonight. The left-handed 2006 second-round pick will make his major league debut as San Diego shifts to a six-man rotation.

LeBlanc was recalled on Monday from Triple-A Portland, where he went 11-9 with a 5.32 ERA this season.

Kevin Kouzmanoff finished with two RBI last night for the Padres, who had won five of six games coming into this set.

The Dodgers have now won seven of 11 versus the Padres this year.