(My Sportsbook) - Jake Peavy hasn't pitched to his typical standards over his last two starts. Perhaps a matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers is what the San Diego Padres ace needs to get back to form.

Peavy will try to maintain his career-long success against the Dodgers when the former National League Cy Young Award winner toes the rubber for the Padres in tonight's second test of a four-game series between the divisional foes from Dodger Stadium.

In 23 career matchups with Los Angeles, Peavy has compiled a sensational 13-2 record with a 2.39 earned run average and a .209 batting average against. However, the Dodgers handled the standout right-hander back on Opening Day, reaching Peavy for four runs (3 earned) over seven innings en route to a 4-1 victory in San Diego on April 6.

Peavy rebounded to win his next two starts, but the two-time All-Star was hit hard during back-to-back losses to San Francisco and Pittsburgh in his final two April outings. Over that pair of games, he gave up 11 runs in 11 innings and walked seven batters.

Peavy's team hasn't fared so well recently either, as the Padres lost for the fifth time in six games with Thursday's 8-5 setback to the NL West-leading Dodgers.

Down 5-4 after 6 1/2 innings, Los Angeles scored twice in both the seventh and eighth frames to move to 7-0 at home on the young season. Orlando Hudson singled in the go-ahead run in the seventh and added a solo homer for the Dodgers, who also received a solo home run and a 2-for-3 performance from Manny Ramirez on the night.

Matt Kemp and Casey Blake each finished 2-for-4 with an RBI for Los Angeles, which had lost three of its last four contests coming in.

Three Dodger relievers combined to hold the Padres scoreless over the final three innings, with Ronald Belisario (1-2) getting the win with a shutout seventh and Jonathan Broxton striking out the side in the ninth to record his seventh save of the year.

Luke Gregerson (0-1) was handed the loss after giving up both Los Angeles runs in the seventh. San Diego starter Josh Geer allowed four runs over the first six frames and helped his cause with two singles and an RBI at the plate.

The Dodgers will send out a struggling pitcher for tonight's game as well in youngster Clayton Kershaw. The 21-year-old yielded just two runs and three hits in 12 innings over his first two 2009 starts, but hasn't come close to duplicating those efforts in his two most recent times out.

Kershaw was rocked for six runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings in a loss at Houston on April 21, then surrendered nine runs and eight hits before being removed after just 4 2/3 frames in Sunday's 10-4 defeat to Colorado at Coors Field.

The highly-regarded left-hander is 2-0 with a 3.52 ERA over four lifetime starts against San Diego and held the Padres to one run in a five-inning no decision at Petco Park on April 9.

These teams split a four-game set in San Diego to open this season, but the Dodgers have won seven of the last 10 meetings between the teams.