showdown with dbacks

The Dodgers will be sending Hiroki Kuroda to the mound after he followed up a rough end to July with a great August, compiling a 3-1 record and a 2.10 ERA while yielding just one run in four of his five starts.With the D-backs losing along with them, the Dodgers have lost just 1 1/2 games during their seven-game losing streak, and are 3 1/2 games back of Arizona in the NL West. If their struggles continue this weekend, that will change.James Loney is the only Dodger to be hot of late. He's hit in eight straight, going 14-for-31 (.452) to boost his batting average to a team-high .300. He also leads the club with 72 RBIs. ... Brad Penny (right shoulder inflammation) and Jason Schmidt (shoulder surgery) both saw Dr. Neal ElAttrache this week. Penny played catch on flat ground on Wednesday for the first time since his Aug. 13 start, and Schmidt will pitch in a rehab game for Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.