LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — The National League West’s top two teams meet Thursday night when the San Diego Padres visit the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The first-place Dodgers (56-30) bring the league’s best record into the series opener against the third-place Padres (43-42). Los Angeles has won four of six meetings this season between the division rivals, including two of three in San Diego from June 26-28. Both teams enter with contrasting recent results. Los Angeles has won three straight after sweeping a two-game set at the Athletics, capping it with a 9-3 victory Tuesday in which third baseman Tommy Edman went 4 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs. Edman, a player to watch, has nine hits in his past four games. San Diego is on a five-game losing streak, including a 23-3 loss at the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Third baseman-shortstop Sung-Mun Song had two hits, including a solo home run, in that defeat. Song, the Padres’ player to watch, is hitting .333 over his past 10 games with two homers and seven RBIs. He went 1 for 1 with two RBIs in a 7-1 win over the Dodgers on June 26 but was 0 for 2 in a 4-2 loss to them two days later. The Dodgers have won 16 of their past 20 games overall. Edman, who has hit safely in eight of his past 10 games, was 2 for 4 with three RBIs in a 15-3 rout of the Padres on June 27 but went 0 for 4 in the 4-2 win the next day. He also singled in a 7-1 loss on June 26. The Padres’ recent struggles extend beyond the Dodgers series. They were swept in a three-game set at Chicago before Wednesday’s blowout and have lost four of their past five series. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-5 Dodgers victory. After Thursday’s opener, the teams play again Friday and Saturday at Dodger Stadium. Following the series, San Diego returns home for four games against the Arizona Diamondbacks while Los Angeles hosts the Colorado Rockies for three games.