EATON CHEWS UP DODGERS SAN DIEGO 3, DODGERS 0.

Byline: Tony Jackson  Staff Writer

Despite his status as a former first-round draft pick and one of the league's most promising young pitchers, Adam Eaton has the luxury of anonymity. In a San Diego starting rotation that also includes Brian Lawrence, David Wells and Jake Peavy, Eaton is the other guy, unburdened by the weight of expectations or the pressure of anchoring a staff.

But when it comes to the Dodgers, there is no anonymity for Eaton. They know all too well who he is, and what he's all about. And on the off chance they might have forgotten, Eaton gave them a little reminder on Sunday.

The 26-year-old right-hander threw seven shutout innings, allowing just one hit and three baserunners, and shattered the Dodgers' hopes of completing a three-game sweep in a critical National League West showdown.

The result for the Dodgers was a 3-0 loss to the Padres before 46,884 at Dodger Stadium. The result for Eaton was a career 6-1 mark against Los Angeles, with a 1.96 ERA in 13 starts.

The Dodgers will get another shot at their nemesis Friday night at Petco Park. But there is little to suggest the story line will be much different.

``He was great,'' Dodgers shortstop Cesar Izturis said. ``His fastball was right there. He threw a lot of strikes, a lot of first-pitch strikes, and that makes it a lot harder to work the count and make a guy throw a lot of pitches. There's nothing you can really do right there.''

For the Dodgers, against Eaton, there usually isn't. In three starts against them this season, he has allowed three earned runs in 22 innings for a 1.23 ERA.

He turned in a similar effort on April 7. That one was even more efficient, given that Eaton got through eight innings on the same 100 pitches that only got him through seven Sunday. He allowed four hits that night, and one run, but was left with no decision after the Dodgers won in extra innings. On April 13 in San Diego, he breezed through seven innings and got the victory after being staked to a five-run lead.

And then, three months later, came his finest performance yet. Eaton retired the first 10 Dodgers hitters and 15 of the first 16. He began to tire in the sixth and seventh, walking the leadoff man both times, but the Dodgers couldn't capitalize.

In the sixth, with the Dodgers trailing 2-0, Jeff Weaver followed a walk to David Ross by bunting into a force at second. Izturis followed with a tailing liner to right that looked like a sure double, putting the tying runs in scoring position. But Padres right fielder Brian Giles raced over and made a nice grab to rob Izturis, and the Dodgers never threatened again.

``The key to the game was the catch Brian Giles made,'' Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said. ``Beyond that, there's really not a whole lot else to say. Eaton has a very good curveball, and his mix of pitches is very good. We didn't create a whole lot of run-scoring opportunities for ourselves. You have to give credit where credit is due.''

The Dodgers (57-40) lost for just the fifth time in their past 25 games, but maintained their 3 1/2-game lead in the division. Second-place San Francisco lost at St. Louis and the Padres pulled back into a tie with the Giants. While the Dodgers go to Colorado for four before another weekend showdown with the Padres, San Diego hosts San Francisco for four, continuing a pivotal stretch in a division race that probably is tighter than the standings would indicate.

``We won the series,'' said Tracy, whose team is 6-3 against the Padres. ``That's what we wanted and we had a good (3-2) homestand. We won two out of three against them. It's over, and you have to move forward. You have to keep going.''

Weaver (7-10) was the hard-luck loser. He allowed a solo homer to Phil Nevin in the second inning and a run in the fifth when Jason Grabowski made an ill-advised attempt at a diving catch in left field on a sinking liner hit by Khalil Greene. The ball got by Grabowski and rolled to the wall,and Greene pulled into third with a triple. With the Dodgers' infield playing at normal depth, Humberto Quintero drove in Greene with a bouncer to short.

The next two batters also grounded out, meaning Greene likely wouldn't have scored if Grabowski had let the ball fall in front of him.

Weaver, like fellow Dodgers starter Odalis Perez, has been a season-long victim of poor run support. He has started three games against the Padres this year, all against Eaton (6-8).

Tony Jackson,[phone]

tony.jackson(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 boxes

Photo:

Dodgers second baseman Alex Cora misses a throw from catcher David Ross, allowing Terrence Long to steal in the Padres' 3-0 victory on Sunday.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) PADRES 3, DODGERS 0

(2) DODGERS at COLORADO

- Tony Jackson