Dodgers 10, Padres 1

The Dodgers score 10 runs to beat the Padres in the first game of the three game series.

Chad Billingsley got the win, he's 16-10. Wade LeBlanc took the loss, he's 1-2.

Chad Billingsley seemed a little shaky. He went six innings and gave up only one run, however, he also gave up nine hits and two walks over that span. James McDonald, Ramon Troncoso, and Scott Elbert added a scoreless inning each.

Offensively, the Dodgers did much better than they did Sunday. Eight of the nine Dodgers in the starting lineup collected a hit, seven scored a run, and four had RBIs, even Chad Billingsley added a hit, a squeeze bunt, and two RBIs. They had a big 1st inning, in which they batted through the lineup and scored six runs in the process. The top three performers in the game were probably Russell Martin, Nomar Garciaparra, and Blake DeWitt. Russell Martin went 2-3 with a double, two walks, and a run scored, Nomar Garciaparra went 1-2 with a walk, a homerun, three RBIs, and a run scored, and Blake DeWitt went 2-3 with a walk, a homerun, three RBIs, and two runs scored.

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost today, so with the win, the Dodgers move back to a three game lead in the NL West. The Dodgers will try tomorrow for their second straight win, and a chance to knock another point off the Magic Number. The game starts at 7:10 L.A. time.

Also: With the win, the Dodgers move back up to seven games over .500 (82-75)... With the win and the Diamondbacks' loss, the Dodger Magic Number is now 3... With their 82nd win, the Dodgers guarantee themselves a winning season... Chad Billingsley's win is his 16th, good for first place on the Dodgers.

Opinion: This was a pretty good statement win. After looking a little lackluster in the weekend series, the Dodgers came out firing. I like it... In any case, now that my last prediction (the one about us clinching on Sunday) was obliterated, I'd like to make a new one. We have two more games against the Padres, the Diamondbacks have two more against the Cardinals. Our Magic Number is three. My prediction is simple: we clinch it at home on Thursday. Hopefully, the Cardinals will keep up their end by causing the Diamondbacks trouble in St. Louis. I'm fairly certain that if we keep playing like we did tonight, our end shouldn't be a problem. I guess we'll see. 3 and counting...

Dodgers 6, Padres 4

The Dodgers complete the three game sweep of the Padres and have now won five in a row.

Hiroki Kuroda got the win, he's 8-10. Wade LeBlanc took the loss, he's 0-1. Jonathan Broxton picked up his 12th save.

Hiroki Kuroda had a shaky start. He went 5.1 innings, giving up four runs on 10 hits and a walk, while striking out four. The Dodger bullpen did considerably better. They went a combined 3.2 scoreless innings. That included Cory Wade, who pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, and Jonathan Broxton, who retired the side in order in the 9th for the save.

The Dodgers had a pretty good day offensively. Russell Martin went 1-3, with a walk, a stolen base, and an RBI. Andre Ethier went 2-4, with a double and a run scored. Casey Blake went 2-4, with a homerun, two RBIs, and a run scored. Blake DeWitt went 1-4, with two RBIs and a run scored (coming on a two-run homerun in the 4th inning). Finally, Ángel Berroa went 2-4, with a double, a homerun, an RBI, and two runs scored.

The Arizona Diamondbacks also won today, so they will remain 1.5 games in front of the Dodgers in the NL West. Both teams have the day off tomorrow before beginning a three games series against each other Friday. The first game starts at 7:05 L.A. time.

Also: With the win, their 70th on the season, the Dodgers move back to .500 (70-70)... The Dodgers have hit six homeruns in the last two games (three in each)... Ángel Berroa's homerun was his first since September 25th, 2006... James Loney went 0-4 to snap his hitting streak at 13 games.

Opinion: We are really a roller coaster of a team. How can it be the same team that goes six for seven against two very good out of division teams, then go one for our next 11, then follow that up with a five game winning streak? I mean, seriously. That's bi-polar... That's good execution. We needed to come out and win this series and we did just that. We had hitting and we had pitching for the most part. Hopefully, this sweep will give us a little momentum going into the weekend...