No. 10 Stanford heads to Los Angeles this weekend for a three-game set against UCLA. The team looks to extend its series win streak to 11.

Both teams enter tonight’s match on the heels of recent success. The Cardinal has won four straight; the Bruins swept UC-Riverside last weekend before falling to Cal State-Northridge on Tuesday.

Stanford has been powered by its pitching — with the exception of Wednesday’s extra-inning 11-10 win over San Francisco, the Cardinal arms have been able to keep opponents in check, holding Santa Clara and Oregon State to just 13 runs combined over three games.

Stanford did, however, use eight pitchers against the Dons, indicating a larger trend: coach Mark Marquess has interchanged pitchers at will, sometimes even using position players like center fielder Sean Ratliff and third baseman Austin Yount. This is in part due to a packed schedule that calls for about five games a week, putting an added strain on the Cardinal’s arms.

“Coach Marquess has an idea of what he wants to do in certain situations,” said junior second baseman Cord Phelps.

While Friday’s pitcher is yet to be determined, Stanford will send senior Erik Davis to the mound on Saturday and sophomore Jeffrey Inman on Sunday.

Davis, who has thrown three straight complete games, drew the praise of Marquess for his stamina and production.

“I’ve been coaching for a long time, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a pitcher who has opened the Pac-10 season with three consecutive complete games in conference action,” Marquess said. “What he has been able to do the last three weeks is phenomenal.”

Davis, Inman and the rest of the Cardinal staff will face a Bruin offense that has been sporadic throughout the year. They have scored 20 runs twice and have won many games on the backs of double-digit run totals. They were shut-out against Northridge, however, and, in most of their losses, they have struggled to score more than three runs.

Their lineup, though, is fairly strong: Alden Carrithers, Jermaine Curtis, Brandon Crawford and Casey Haerther — the Bruins’ first four batters in its order — all present tough challenges for Stanford’s pitchers.

Still, UCLA’s strength is its pitching. Tim Murphy and Gavin Brooks lead a squad that boasts a number of daunting hurlers.

“UCLA has a very talented team and a couple of starting lefties in their pitching rotation that are pretty good,” Marquess said. “They will be a formidable challenge for us this weekend.”

“They have great pitching,” Phelps said. “They have talented hitters. They’re a good overall team.”

Stanford will send up a lineup that has stars of its own. Ratliff and catcher Jason Castro provide the power, and first baseman Randy Molina is the leading hitter on the team. Phelps, perhaps the Cardinal’s most complete player, combines power and batting average with stellar defense.

“I think Cord Phelps is one of the best second basemen in the nation,” Marquess said. “He has had an incredible season for us both offensively and defensively and is one of the main reasons for our success at this point in the season.”

While these hitters provide the brunt of the work for the Cardinal, Stanford has also been getting key contributions from its bench. Junior first baseman Brent Milleville — Molina’s backup — has been particularly effective in the past two games. He won the game against San Francisco with an RBI single in the 11th inning and created some breathing room against Santa Clara when he singled home Phelps to give the Cardinal a 3-1 lead, which they would not relinquish.

“We have had guys who can fill roles throughout the whole season,” Phelps said. “Bench players will be a big part throughout the whole series.”

As the Cardinal aims for first place in the Pac-10, they will need good production from all players, both on offense and defense. Stanford currently stands in a tie with Arizona State for first place in the conference and will look to separate themselves from the Sun Devils against the Bruins.

Phelps highlighted the difficulty of doing so away from the Farm.

“Playing on the road in the Pac-10 is always tough,” he said.

Marquess concurred.

“This is a very important series for both teams,” he said. “We are trying to stay on top and they are trying to get there. A situation like that always makes for some very competitive baseball.”