(Sports Network) - Recent postseason standout Jeff Suppan takes another shot at keeping the Milwaukee Brewers in the playoff race tonight, when the team opens a four-game series with the visiting San Diego Padres at Miller Park.

Suppan, who pitched for St. Louis during that club's march to the 2006 World Series title before heading for Milwaukee the subsequent offseason, takes the mound for a Brewers squad that sits five games in back of the Chicago Cubs in the chase for the National League's Central Division title.

Milwaukee currently leads the NL's contentious wild-card race by 4 1/2 games over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Suppan rides a five-decision win streak and a six-start unbeaten streak into this matchup with San Diego, a stretch that includes a 5-2 defeat of the Padres in California on August 12.

In that start, he allowed four hits and two runs in eight innings to run his career record against the Padres to 5-3 in 10 starts.

Since his last loss, which came on July 27 against Houston, Suppan has tossed 42 innings while allowing 36 hits and 14 runs.

Veteran southpaw Shawn Estes returns for San Diego tonight after an extended absence with a fractured left thumb. The 35-year-old, who missed the entire 2007 season due to injury and made just one start in 2006, had appeared in five games through late May before heading to the sidelines.

He defeated the Chicago Cubs with 5 1/3 innings of seven-hit, three-run ball on May 13, then went 0-1 with a pair of no-decisions in his final three pre- injury starts, including a 6-4 loss to Washington on May 28.

In 24 1/3 overall innings of work this season, Estes has allowed 18 hits and nine earned runs while walking 10 and striking out 14.

A first-round pick of the Seattle Mariners in 1991, Estes reached the majors in 1995 with the San Francisco Giants and has also pitched for Cincinnati, the New York Mets, the Cubs, Colorado and Arizona.

Estes' defeat of the Cubs earlier this season was the 100th win of his career.

The Padres come in after being swept by the Dodgers in three games in Los Angeles. In Wednesday's finale, Angel Berroa and Blake DeWitt hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning to power the Dodgers to a 6-4 win.

San Diego's Wade LeBlanc (0-1) took the loss in his major league-debut, giving up five runs and eight hits while walking three and striking out one batter over four innings.

Josh Bard drove in three runs with a 2-for-4 effort for San Diego, which had won five of six heading into the series, while Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a solo home run.

The Brewers were also swept in their most recent series, with theirs taking place at home against the surging New York Mets. On Wednesday, Ryan Church set the tone with a first-inning grand slam and New York went on to beat Milwaukee, 9-2.

J.J. Hardy had a solo home run for the Brewers. Starting pitcher Dave Bush (9-10) allowed six runs -- all in the first inning -- on seven hits in five frames en route to the loss.

Milwaukee won twice in three tries against the Padres last month and is 4-1 over the last five meetings between these clubs.