SAN DIEGO _ The Padres want to win, and those players who give them the best chance to do so will be on the field.
That means Luis Perdomo can't have very many more games like he did Saturday. The 24-year-old right-hander is in his third season with the Padres, and the team has been clear about him needing to earn any remaining stay.
The Perdomo experiment continued a familiar course Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers, when he took 96 pitches to get through four innings, just 55 of those being strikes.
The Padres went on to lose, 7-3, and were swept in a season-opening series for the second time in three seasons.
The Brewers' 2-3-4 hitters _ Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain and Travis Shaw _ were 7-for-7 with five RBIs and four runs off Perdomo.
A two-run home run by Freddy Galvis in the second inning and Eric Hosmer's RBI double in the third went for naught as Perdomo struck out seven but was plagued by what has become his predictable unevenness.
With Tyson Ross set to be called up next week to start Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies, rookie Joey Lucchesi pledged a chance to prove he should stay and the hope that Dinelson Lamet returns within a month, there just might not be room for a pitcher who can't get outs consistently, no matter how talented he might be.
Perdomo could even be pushed by the man who replaced him Saturday. Left-hander Robbie Erlin, who had Tommy John surgery and had not pitched in a game since April 17, 2016, came on in the fifth and threw three scoreless innings before allowing two runs in the eighth.
Elsewhere, too, it is clear already that playing time on the Padres is at a premium, particularly at certain positions and for certain players.
"It's not going to be predicated on age or experience or youth or where we're going as an organization," manager Andy Green said before the game. "Whoever plays well, we'll get them out there again."
Green was speaking primarily about third base, where in the season's third game he started a third different player.
Saturday, it was Christian Villanueva, who may have the most urgency with which to show he has a future with the Padres.
Opening-Day starter Chase Headley has no future with the team beyond this season, but his experience is valued for the time being. Cory Spangenberg has a thicker resume and more positional versatility than Villanueva.
He "is a guy we want to find out about," Green said.
Villanueva's power is intriguing, but he will need to do better than his 0-for-4 Saturday. After starting hot, Villanueva finished with one hit in his final 23 spring training at-bats.
The lineup was further altered when Wil Myers was scratched due to back "tightness." Hunter Renfroe made his first start of the season. Renfroe is expected to start in right field against left-handed pitchers with Myers sliding over to left and Jose Pirela moving from left to second base. With Myers out, Carlos Asuaje stayed at second and Pirela in left.
Renfroe hit his second career triple, on the first pitch he saw leading off the second inning. He finished 1-for-4.
