(My Sportsbook) - The Los Angeles Dodgers take aim at establishing a franchise record for consecutive home wins to start a season when the National League West front-runners wrap up a four-game series with the sliding San Diego Padres this afternoon at Dodger Stadium.

After edging the Padres in 10 innings on Saturday, Los Angeles moved to 9-0 as the host on the young season, which ties the club's best-ever start at home. The record was established all the way back in 1946, when the Dodgers were still located in Brooklyn and playing their games at historic Ebbets Field.

Andre Ethier kept the current Dodgers' streak alive by singling home the deciding run with no outs in the bottom of the 10th to give his team a 2-1 win.

After Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson opened LA's half of the 10th with singles off Luke Gregerson (0-2), Manny Ramirez was intentionally walked to load the bases and set up a force play. Ethier then followed with a shot off the right-field wall that easily sent home Furcal.

The win was the second in as many nights for the Dodgers in their final at- bat. On Friday, Russell Martin drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to lift Los Angeles to a 1-0 decision.

Like Friday's tilt, last night's game featured a terrific pitching duel. San Diego's Chris Young held the Dodgers to one run on six hits over the first seven innings, while three Los Angeles relievers combined for 4 2/3 scoreless frames after replacing starter Randy Wolf.

The Padres' lone run came when Edgar Gonzalez, the game's second batter, slugged a solo home run off Wolf in the first inning.

San Diego has now lost four in a row and 10 of its last 12 games, and the team's sputtering offense will have to face one of the NL's hottest pitchers in Chad Billingsley today.

The Dodgers' young ace put together a tremendous April in which he posted a 4-0 record and an outstanding 2.12 earned run average in five starts, while lasting at least six innings in every one of those mound trips. Billingsley's four victories is presently tied with Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo, St. Louis' Joel Pineiro and Colorado's Jason Marquis for the most among NL hurlers this year.

Billingsley's string of four straight winning starts came to an end Tuesday in San Francisco, although the right-hander still put forth a good showing. He held the rival Giants to three runs -- two earned -- and struck out eight over 7 1/3 innings, but wound up with a no decision in an eventual 5-3 Dodgers' triumph.

The 24-year-old made his first appearance of the season against the Padres on April 8 and allowed a pair of runs on just two hits to help Los Angeles to a 5-2 win. That performance moved Billingsley to 6-3 in 14 lifetime meetings (10 starts) with San Diego, and he's amassed a sound 2.43 ERA over that span.

Fresh off an impressive debut with his new club, Chad Gaudin will take the mound for the Padres in today's finale.

The journeyman right-hander was promoted from Triple-A Portland on Monday and started San Diego's 4-3 win at Colorado the following day. He did not factor in the final outcome, but surrendered only three hits and struck out five over five shutout innings.

Gaudin went 9-5 with a 4.40 ERA over 50 appearances, including six starts, with Oakland and the Chicago Cubs last season, and recorded a career-best 11 wins in 34 starts with the Athletics in 2007. He was released by the Cubs just prior to Opening Day and signed by the Padres organization on April 12.

His only career encounter with the Dodgers came in relief while with Oakland in 2006, with Gaudin allowing a run in one inning of work.

These teams split a four-game set in San Diego to open this season, but the Dodgers have won nine of the last 12 meetings between the teams.