PHOENIX _ San Diego Padres management is monitoring its first-place team _ yes, first place _ in an effort to determine how real its chances of contending are over the duration of 2019.
The main quandary is whether to invest in a veteran starting pitcher.
Pedro Avila's performance Thursday night may have only further clouded the issue.
The 22-year-old right-hander was sterling in getting into the sixth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Padres claimed a wild 7-6 victory.
En route to claiming sole possession of the top spot in the National League West for the first time since April 5, 2011, they took a five-run lead with a five-run sixth inning and lost that lead when the Diamondbacks scored five runs in the seventh before Manuel Margot hit a solo home run in the eighth.
And they discovered they have another rookie starter who can get it done in the big leagues.
Avila, who surrendered a run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings, Nick Margevicius and Chris Paddack are the only three starting pitchers on the same team to make their big-league debuts this season. They have allowed five earned runs in 30 innings.
After Avila gave up a run on three hits and a walk in the first inning and allowed another single with one out in the second, he retired 12 straight batters. Avila hit Adam Jones and walked Eduardo Escobar in succession and was replaced by Robert Stock, who got the final two outs of the sixth.
Stock and Brad Wieck frittered away the 6-1 lead in the seventh.
The Padres built that lead on Franmil Reyes' homer in the fourth and then an RBI single by Manny Machado, a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Austin Hedges' three-run homer in the sixth.
With closer Kirby Yates having made his eighth appearance Wednesday, Trey Wingenter pitched the ninth inning to earn his first career save.
