SAN DIEGO -- From the start, the Padres planned to use 2019 as a showcase for their young pitchers. They had an abundance of promising arms, and they figured the best among them would rise to the occasion and solidify their place in the team’s long-term plans.

That’s precisely what Cal Quantrill has done over the past two months. Time to pencil him into those long-term plans.

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The rookie right-hander turned in his best outing of the season in the Padres’ 7-1 victory over the Rockies on Friday night at Petco Park. He worked seven scoreless frames, allowing five singles and no walks while striking out five.

The Rockies, who didn’t put two men aboard in any inning, barely troubled Quantrill, who now owns a 1.62 ERA since he moved back to the rotation at the start of July.

“The ultimate compliment for a pitcher is: 'Do you give the team a chance to win every single time?'” Quantrill said. “I'm feeling closer and closer. … Lately I’ve been going good.”

On offense, Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a two-run double in the third, providing Quantrill with all the support he needed. Five innings later, Josh Naylor put the game out of reach with a pinch-hit three-run bomb. Luis Urías added two hits and an RBI as well.

Not a bad night for Padres rookies.

“It's rare you have a good outing like that, and you're like the fourth- or fifth-best rookie on the team,” Quantrill said. “I'm never going to complain about those guys putting up runs for me and making great plays.”

Ultimately, Quantrill’s role with the Padres remains somewhat murky. He’s a starter right now, and he’ll probably remain in the rotation for the rest of the season. But the battle for starting jobs figures to be a tense one next spring.

Garrett Richards will be back from injury, top prospect MacKenzie Gore will push for time, and the Friars seem destined to add an arm this winter -- either via trade or free agency.

It’s still possible that Quantrill wins a rotation job next spring. But even if he doesn’t, he has a clear place on the roster. Quantrill has proven himself an effective reliever, too. Perhaps more importantly, he’s comfortable moving back and forth between roles.

Quantrill has been a starter for a month and a half now (though he did make one appearance as the bulk pitcher out of the bullpen when the team used an opener against the Cubs). If he keeps pitching like this, he’s in the rotation to stay.

On Friday, Quantrill threw 71 of his 102 pitches for strikes, and he used his fastball at a 71 percent clip. That’s precisely how the Padres want it. They feel Quantrill is at his best when he’s “on the attack.” (In fact, manager Andy Green used some form of the word “attack” five times to describe Quantrill in his postgame press conference.)

“There's just real attack to everything he's doing, and the hitters feel that,” said Green. “He's owning the momentum on the mound.”

When the Padres drafted Quantrill with their first selection in 2016, they envisioned nights like this one. But Quantrill’s trajectory wasn’t a steady one. He was coming off Tommy John surgery when he entered the organization, and he hit some bumps in the Minor Leagues.

As Joey Lucchesi and Eric Lauer -- also Padres 2016 Draft picks -- rocketed through the system, Quantrill took a slower track. But since his arrival, he’s been arguably the team’s most reliable starter.

He might be forcing the Padres to rearrange their long-term rotation plans, too.

“I want a role here,” Quantrill said. “I want to play for San Diego for a long time and to be a good pitcher. Hopefully they see me working, and I show that I belong.”