PEAVY LEAVES DODGERS FEELING ILL MALIGNED SAN DIEGO ACE DEALS L.A. ANOTHER DEFEAT SAN DIEGO 1, DODGERS 0.

Byline: TONY JACKSON Staff Writer

SAN DIEGO -- The numbers suggest San Diego right-hander Jake Peavy is a long way from the All-Star caliber starter he was last summer. Shoulder tendinitis, illness and a maddening lack of run support have conspired to beat down the erstwhile Padres ace, leaving him with a deflated win total and a bloated ERA.

From where the Dodgers sit, though, Peavy looks neither deflated, bloated nor in any other way afflicted.

And from where they sat Tuesday night, he looked like their worst nightmare. Again.

On an evening when embattled Dodgers lefty Mark Hendrickson finally came through with a command performance, Peavy made sure it didn't matter, frustrating the Dodgers for seven more innings and ultimately saddling them with a 1-0 loss in front of 32,774 at Petco Park.

With that, the Padres became the first team to win a series from the Dodgers since, well, the Padres, who swept them four weeks ago in a three-game set at Dodger Stadium.

The Padres will go for another sweep tonight. But thanks to Peavy, Tim Stauffer and an airtight bullpen -- all of whom have combined to hold the Dodgers to two runs on 11 hits over the past two nights -- the Padres already have accomplished what they hoped for in this series, to pull within range of the first-place Dodgers in an ever-tightening National League West.

Peavy improved to 6-1 with a 2.09 ERA for his career against the Dodgers.

``His sinker was working really well,'' said Dodgers leadoff man Rafael Furcal, who went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts against Peavy. ``His fastball was moving pretty well. He was putting the ball exactly where he wanted to throw it.''

And putting the Padres within two games of the suddenly reeling Dodgers -- who have lost four of their past six overall and 10 of their past 11 to the Padres -- in the standings.

``We just didn't get any offense going against Peavy,'' Dodgers manager Grady Little said. ``That was the difference. He mixed his pitches well and produced strikes. He was tough on us all night long.''

Peavy focused especially on the top of the Dodgers' lineup -- neither Furcal, Kenny Lofton, Nomar Garciaparra nor J.D. Drew managed to reach base against him. Fifth-place hitter Jeff Kent was on base three times, but never got past second.

The biggest threat the Dodgers (66-60) mounted against Peavy came in the fifth, when Julio Lugo led off with a ground-rule double to the gap in left-center that would have made it out of a lot of lesser ballparks.

Lugo then appeared to have third base stolen when Toby Hall fouled off a pitch. Hall eventually lined to short, and after Hendrickson took a called third strike, Lugo finally did steal third.

But Furcal then flied harmlessly to center, letting Peavy (7-12) off the hook.

Hendrickson (1-6), meanwhile, matched Peavy inning for inning through the first five, for the moment cementing his somewhat shaky spot in the Dodgers' rotation. But after giving up a leadoff double to Josh Barfield in the sixth, Hendrickson got a bad break with Barfield on third, Mike Piazza at the plate and two outs.

Piazza pulled the ball directly toward Furcal at short, but it was smoked. Furcal tried to shoestring it, but it took a vicious hop and struck him between his left bicep and shoulder and caromed too far into shallow center field for Furcal to do anything about it. Barfield jogged home with the game's only run.

``When I saw it, I knew it was hit hard,'' Furcal said. ``I tried the best I could to knock it down in front of me. But the ball jumped right into my body.''

Hendrickson was lifted for a pinch-hitter after that inning, having given up five hits without a walk through six. After the game, for perhaps the first time following any recent start by Hendrickson, no one asked Little about Hendrickson's status in the rotation.

``The thing I stressed for myself was to get back to the business of just executing pitches,'' Hendrickson said. ``After that, it's out of my control. I was pretty happy for the most part. But I tried to elevate a fastball to Mike, and it ended up right down the middle.''

Trevor Hoffman got his 33rd save when Olmedo Saenz grounded into a game-ending force play.

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CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Despite losing Tuesday, Dodgers starter Mark Hendrickson might have saved his spot in the rotation.

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

(2) Jake Peavy pitched seven shutout innings while allowing three hits and striking out seven to help San Diego move within two games of the National League West-leading Dodgers.

Associated Press

(3) PENNY

Box:

DODGERS at SAN DIEGO

- Tony Jackson