SAN DIEGO _ The progression of his sinker so pronounced, Luis Perdomo's innate ability to simply put hitters away has, at times, got lost in the shuffle. Sunday's start served as a reminder that both skills can serve the Rule-5 rookie well.
The 23-year-old right-hander struck out five batters, used his developing two-seamer to fetch eight groundball outs and didn't allow an earned run for the first time in his career, the most impressive of the rookie performances that spurred the Padres on to a 9-1 win over the Diamondbacks.
Travis Jankowski extended his on-base streak to 20 games with his first career homer at Petco Park, Alex Dickerson added his eighth homer of the year and Patrick Kivlehan reached base in all four of his plate appearances, all of it making things that much easier for Perdomo to complete seven innings for the second time in his career.
"Perdomo was outstanding," Green said after taking the third game of the series to move two games ahead of Arizona, the last-place team in the NL West. "The sinker played well all day. I thought his breaking ball was as good as it has been. He just attacked hitters all day. He keeps getting better.
"That's what his ceiling is right there."
Perdomo allowed just five hits, didn't walk anyone and didn't allow anyone past first base until his throwing error on Phil Gosselin's seventh-inning infield single forced the young pitcher to throw wildly to first.
Gosselin scampered to second on the error, moved to third on Mitch Haniger's lazy fly ball to center and scored on a single that Brandon Drury pulled through the left side of the infield to stick Perdomo with an unearned run in an otherwise pristine afternoon.
The Rule-5 rookie threw 63 of his 96 pitches for strikes, retired nine in a row after Michael Bourn's first-inning single and even helped his cause with a run-scoring double in the fifth, the first extra-base hit and RBI of his career.
"That's my best outing yet," Perdomo said through an interpreter.
Yet the best could be still to come.
A year after topping out in A-ball, each start seems to inch Perdomo further and further away from the "project" label slapped on his back when then Padres selected him in the Rule-5 draft and stashed him in their bullpen.
The hope then was that he'd make it through the year and then find a home in the farm system. Today, Perdomo is a leading candidate to earn a rotation spot in 2017.
"His path has been accelerated," Green said. "He's moving very quickly. He's got every opportunity to be a fixture in our rotation for years to come."
A line drive into the left-field corner, Perdomo's fifth-inning double followed Adam Rosales' run-scoring triple to open up a 4-0 lead. Two innings earlier, Jankowski extended his on-base streak to 20 games with a two-run homer to right, his second homer of the season and his first ever at Petco Park.
"Being a leadoff guy, that's my main objective _ to get on base," said Jankowski, who is hitting .33.8 with four doubles, eight steals and 17 runs scored in August. "If I can get on base and we can get things rolling, we've got a really good offense, and it all starts with someone getting on base."
Dickerson added his home run the sixth, Kivlehan singled twice, walked twice and scored three runs in his second career start and Rosales collected two extra-base hits, with much of the damage coming off Diamondbacks right-hander Braden Shipley.
The 24-year-old rookie allowed seven runs on seven hits and exited with one out during a three-run sixth, the last run charged to Shipley crossing the plate when Kivlehan greeted reliever Dominic Leone with a sharp single to center.
"I'm kind of just relaxed up there," said Kivlehan, who is 4-for-6 in his first two games in the games. "I'm in one of those modes where I just want to help the team win any way I can. If that's take a walk, take a walk. If it's a single, take that and drive in a run."
It all suits Green just fine.
"It's fun; he's just playing a game," Green said. "He's making the big league game look pretty easy getting on base every single time today. He's hit a curveball. He's hit a fastball in out of the ballpark. He's hit an off-speed pitch to the right side the other day. He's taken a couple walks.
"He's done a little bit of everything."
