The Dodgers head to San Diego for a crucial three-game series against the National League Wild Card-leading Padres.

The Dodgers are 3 1/2 games behind the Padres in the Wild Card race and 4 1/2 behind the D-backs in the NL West. The three-game series may play a major role in whether Los Angeles will make the playoffs. The Dodgers need to win two of three or sweep to help make a push in the last month of the season.

"We feel good about where we are heading into this series," said manager Grady Little. "We don't feel good about being behind, but we feel good about our chances and we know we have to continue to play good baseball. Not a couple days here or couple days there, but for the entire month."

The Dodgers are 2-4 against the Padres this season at PETCO Park, and last year, despite winning the season series, 11-7, they lost six out of nine at San Diego. So far this season, the Dodgers are 5-7 against the Padres.

San Diego comes into the series having won seven of its last 11 and two of three against Arizona, climbing to within two games of the Diamondbacks in the NL West.

The Dodgers will turn the ball over to lefty David Wells as he looks to beat his former team in the opener. Wells was released by the Padres ealier this month and hadn't pitched for three weeks before beating the New York Mets at Shea Stadium on Sunday night.

"It's nothing personal with the Padres, I have a lot of good friends on that team," Wells said. "But when you step between the lines, we're enemies."

Wells wasn't dominant in his first outing with the Dodgers, but the crafty lefty pitched well enough to earn the victory, allowing two runs on seven hits in five innings of work. He also pitched in offensively, laying down a perfect bunt to spark a fifth-inning rally.

"Anytime [Wells] pitches, it's exciting. He's one of those guys you love to have on you're team, but the opposing fans see him as the villian," said veteran outfielder Luis Gonzalez. "Everybody was curious to see what he had left in the tank, and he went out there and threw a gem against a good team in the Mets. He's a big-game pitcher."

Pitching matchup
LAD: LHP David Wells (6-8, 5.46 ERA)
Wells rose to the occasion of his Big Apple return as a Dodger on national television, with five effective innings and even started the winning rally with a bunt single. Just seeing him chugging down the first-base line was priceless. Now he gets to show if it was a one-shot deal or if he has enough left to help in a September surge.

SD: LHP Wil Ledezema (3-3, 5.68)
The team isn't sure who will start against the Dodgers, though there's a chance it might be a "bullpen day," when a series of relievers shoulder the innings. If the start falls on someone in-house, it will likely be left-hander Wil Ledezma, who is currently the team's designated long reliever.

Player to watch
Shea Hillenbrand, who hit his first homer as a Dodger on Wednesday afternoon, is hitting .300 with five homers, 13 doubles and 19 RBIs in 42 career games against the Padres.

Tickets
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On the Internet
 MLB.TV
 Gameday Audio
•  Gameday
•  Official game notes

On television
• PRIME

On radio
• KFWB, KWKW (Español)

Up next
• Saturday: Dodgers (Derek Lowe, 11-11, 3.56) at Padres (Jake Peavy, 15-5, 2.18), 7:05 p.m. PT
• Sunday: Dodgers (Chad Billingsley, 9-4, 3.50) at Padres (Justin Germano, 7-7, 4.25), 1:05 p.m. PT
• Monday: Dodgers (TBD) at Cubs (TBD), 1:05 p.m. PT