The Dodgers and Diamondbacks meet in a showdown series of sorts that begins on Friday at Chase Field and both teams are the recognized contenders of a division that is looking for a team to distinguish itself.

As the last month of the season closes in, that would be neither the front-running Diamondbacks nor the Dodgers: two teams that have combined to lose their past 11 games.

The Diamondbacks head home after being swept by the cellar-dwelling Padres while the Dodgers make their way to Phoenix without a victory two legs into their three-city road trip.

"We haven't handled this road trip up to now, but it doesn't mean I've lost confidence in our ability to win the division," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said.

Regardless of records and despite the fact that the NL West could produce a champion that is barely above the break-even mark for the second time in the past four seasons (the 2005 the Padres were 82-80), the Dodgers and Diamondbacks will play three games this weekend and another three-game series, Sept. 5-7, at Dodger Stadium.

The theory that these two sets of games will help determine the division winner is thin given the head-to-head matchups between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks.

Arizona currently leads the season series with seven wins out of 12 games, but when they last played the Dodgers in Los Angeles, they split the set and the Diamondbacks left town in the same way they arrived -- one game up in the NL West.

The Diamondbacks have played .500 ball since, but the Dodgers have taken a step back with a 9-14 record since they last faced Arizona, including a 1-9 mark after taking a share of the division lead on Aug. 17.

Working in the Diamondbacks' favor: it could be worse. Arizona is coming off a sweep and they've lost two straight series, but prior to that the Diamondbacks won eight of 10 games.

They'll also be at home this weekend where they've posted a 37-28 record and the Diamondbacks will trot out left-hander Doug Davis before finishing the series with the Nos. 1 and 2 in the rotation -- right-handers Dan Haren and Brandon Webb.

After struggling in his last start against the Padres, Webb will be going for his 20th win on Sunday and facing a team he's had little trouble with. The NL Cy Young favorite is 8-0 with a 1.19 ERA in his past nine starts against the Dodgers.

Hiroki Kuroda will start Friday for the Dodgers and will be followed by fellow right-handers Chad Billingsley and Derek Lowe.

"We've got a chance to put some distance between us and they have a chance to get a little closer," Chad Tracy said. "There are not a lot of games left, so right now we need to grind out two or three at home. This is going to be huge for us."

The Diamondbacks have added Adam Dunn to the roster, a move that partially countered the Dodgers' acquisition of Manny Ramirez at the Trade Deadline. Dunn has two homers and nine RBIs since joining the Diamondbacks and both of his home runs have come at home.

Dunn is hitting .250 with three home runs against the Dodgers over the past four seasons, but is hitting .375 against them this season.

"No doubt it is important especially with the way both teams have been playing lately," Chris Young said. "With the Dodgers, we already have a little rivalry going anyway. I think it's going to be an exciting series, no doubt about that."

Ramirez set the Dodgers abuzz when he landed in L.A. on the western edge of a three-team deal that sent Andy LaRoche to Pittsburgh and Jason Bay to the Red Sox.

The enigmatic left fielder is doing his part with the Dodgers, posting a .375 batting average with seven homers and 23 RBIs while getting on base better than 46 percent of the time. But he's cooled a bit with two homers and seven RBIs in his past 14 games.

That also dovetails with a Dodgers ballclub that was energized by his arrival and scored nearly five runs a game to forge that tie atop the NL West. But their recent tailspin has seen the Dodgers' production drop to 2.1 runs scored in their past 10 games.

"If we start winning ballgames, it will be OK. You don't feel too good about yourself when you lose games, and the more you win, you sort of get into that mode of, 'I dare you,' instead of, 'We hope something happens,'" Torre said. "We have to get basically on the balls of our feet here and make things happen. We're putting ourselves in position, but we just haven't been able to get the hit or two that would have made a difference in the ballgame."

The seven-game losing streak is the longest of the year for the Dodgers, who will play their 11th straight game on Friday and will not get a day off until Sept. 4, the day before the Diamondbacks come to Los Angeles. The Dodgers, while gassed, aren't ready to use fatigue as a key factor.

"We need every game we can get, but obviously if you're playing the team that you're chasing, a win or a loss is a direct relation to the distance between the two," Casey Blake said. "You're always tired in this game no matter what."

Where the Dodgers may catch a break in the race is in the schedule. Aside from playing the Diamondbacks in six of their next nine games, the Dodgers will get the remainder of their games against teams with losing records.

Not counting the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks will have five more series against teams with losing records but must face the Cardinals, who remain in the hunt for a Wild Card berth, in home and away series including a four-game set in St. Louis from Sept. 22-25.

Trailing by 3 1/2 games, the Dodgers will likely need a sweep to make a real dent, while an Arizona sweep would send the Diamondbacks well on their way to a second straight divisional crown.

"We're getting into September and we've said all along it was going to come down to the end," Conor Jackson said.