The San Diego Padres pulled even with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West this week, and the two clubs wrap up a key three-game set Wednesday with the division lead on the line. The clubs have split the first two games of the series.

Padres ace Jake Peavy offered to pitch on three days' rest Wednesday, so that he could face a division rival against whom he is 3-0 (1.71) in four 2007 starts. Manager Bud Black decided Peavy will get the call in the final matchup of the season between the Padres and Diamondbacks.

How could Black stand in the way of his ace? Arguably Peavy was the best pitcher in the game in August. In six starts last month, he was 5-0 with a 1.36 ERA and 0.91 ratio. Then he blanked the Dodgers on two hits over seven innings on Sept. 1, improving to 7-0 in his last eight outings.

In these eight starts, Peavy allowed more than two runs only twice. He held Arizona, St. Louis and Los Angeles scoreless and recorded a quality start each time out. Peavy has been dominant, with a 1.17 ERA, 0.84 ratio and 70 strikeouts in 53.2 innings.

For the season, the six-year veteran is the National League’s winningest pitcher at 16-5. His 2.10 ERA is the best in the majors by a substantial margin. And his Wednesday outing is a big one.

The Padres could use the "W" as they try to overtake the Diamondbacks. They also need a few more wins from their ace down the stretch. Does it make sense to disrupt Peavy's routine and call on him with one less day of rest? The guy's been in such a groove. Maybe that's making something out of nothing, but there will be plenty of critical games following the last meeting between Arizona and San Diego.