San Diego @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 11, 2013 ) LA Dodgers 3, San Diego 2

Carlos Quentin won’t be in the ballpark but tensions figure to be high when the San Diego Padres visit the Los Angeles Dodgers in Monday’s opener of the three-game series. Quentin began serving an eight-game suspension on Sunday, a penalty assessed for charging the mound after being drilled by Los Angeles pitcher Zack Greinke last Thursday in San Diego. Greinke suffered a broken left collarbone and is out six-to-eight weeks.

Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp confronted Quentin after the contest in San Diego and many of his teammates were upset with Quentin’s actions. Quentin has been beaned twice previously by Greinke and reiterated Sunday that he doesn’t regret his actions. “I will say this about the Dodgers’ series,” Quentin said. “I will obviously miss this one, but I will be part of the rest of them. We play them many times.” Los Angeles will honor the memory of Jackie Robinson prior to the game on the 66th anniversary of the former Dodgers’ star breaking the color barrier. The Dodgers were blanked by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday for the second time in three games.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports San Diego, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres LH Eric Stults (1-1, 3.60 ERA) vs. Dodgers RH Chad Billingsley (1-0, 1.50)

Stults lost to the Dodgers last Wednesday when he gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings. Carl Crawford and A.J. Ellis each hit homers off Stults. He defeated the New York Mets in his first outing when he struck out seven and allowed three hits in five shutout innings. Stults won a career-best eight games for the Padres last season.

Billingsley defeated Stults when he allowed one run and five hits in six innings in his lone outing. The performance improved his career mark to 13-8 with a 2.58 ERA against the Padres. Billingsley struck out 11 and allowed just three hits in 8 1/3 innings in his lone 2012 outing against San Diego. He was only 3-4 with a 4.32 ERA in 12 home starts last season.

WALK-OFFS

1. San Diego has lost five straight games since recording a 9-3 win over Los Angeles on April 9.

2. Dodgers 1B Adrian Gonzalez is batting .442 with 13 RBIs in 12 games against his former club.

3. The Padres recalled OF Kyle Blanks to fill the hole caused by Quentin’s suspension.

PREDICTION: Dodgers 5, Padres 2