SAN DIEGO _ Luis Perdomo completed six innings for a ninth consecutive start. Wil Myers recorded multiple hits for the third time in as many days.
Those were among the few positives the Padres could glean from Monday's 2-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Amid a complete-game shutout by Carlos Martinez and a season in which the standings are of light import, they were not insignificant.
If the Padres are to make something out of their rebuild, their most talented players must progress. Perdomo, who has struck upon a measure of consistency, and Myers, who has struggled with months of inconsistency, certainly qualify.
While Martinez stifled the Padres with ease, Perdomo navigated out of serious trouble. The right-hander yielded seven hits and three walks. Over six innings, he also struck out six and induced two double plays, assuming the National League lead in the latter category.
"He gave us the opportunity to win," Padres manager Andy Green said. "We just couldn't get anything going against Carlos Martinez today. I thought (Perdomo) was really good. His slider was really good. His stuff was coming out great."
Perdomo was tagged with both Cardinals runs, though only one should have been considered earned. With the bases loaded in the top of the fourth, left fielder Jose Pirela dropped a fly ball on the warning track. Officially, Yadier Molina was credited with a two-run single.
"I'd put it in the tough-play category," Green said. "It's a play I think he thinks he should make. It wasn't by any means an easy catch. He ran a really long way."
Perdomo found himself in another jam in the fifth, when he hit a batter to load the bases with two outs. He escaped with a warning-track fly out.
"With the more time you have in the big leagues, you start to learn hitters more," Perdomo, 24, said through an interpreter. "In any situation, you're pretty close to getting out of it if you have that knowledge."
On the other side, Martinez fired the third complete game of his career. The Padres finished with three hits and three walks, striking out 10 times. San Diego's only batter to accomplish anything of note was Myers, who singled twice.
For the first time this year, the first baseman has logged more than one hit in three straight games _ a small, if encouraging, stretch in a frustrating season. Myers is 7 for 11 with a walk since he pared down his normally active on-deck routine to a minimalist version.
"I felt like I was at the point of trying anything, so I just went up there more so to clear my mind more than anything," Myers said. "It hasn't really necessarily been my swing. It's been more my mental game, just kind of beating myself into the ground trying too hard."
Said Green: "He seems to have kind of slowed down at the dish. Doesn't seem to be in such a rush to get something done. ... Everything just looks a little bit slower, a little less stressed to hit, and you tend to let his natural athleticism come out a little better that way."
With 24 games left, Myers is hitting .241 with 24 home runs and 17 steals. Asked what he would consider a successful conclusion to the season, he mentioned a couple of goals.
"Try to get to 30 homers, try to get (20 steals) and just continue to learn," Myers said. "I've had two years of struggling, having slumps that I have not been able to break out of. ... It's been one of those things that that's kind of been my downfall, is not handling the failure as well. For me, just go out here to try to finish strong, put together some good at-bats and go home this offseason and figure out what I've got to do to make sure I can have a full year of good play."
