SAN DIEGO -- The Padres, in theory, have a good problem. They have eight potential starters -- four rookies -- competing for five rotation spots, and that number is expected to increase come September when rosters expand.
What's not good is that lately, none of those rookies have seized their opportunity.
Joey Lucchesi had a chance to further distance himself from the pack on Friday, but that opportunity -- much like his control -- slipped away in the Padres' 9-4 loss to the D-backs. He wasn't able to follow up his scoreless, six-inning gem against the Phillies Sunday -- a start in which he didn't have his best movement, but was still able to maneuver through a first-place lineup.
Lucchesi lasted just four innings and was tagged for five earned runs and nine hits. The D-backs brought the pop early, capitalizing on a challenge fastball left down the middle of the plate to cleanup hitter Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt sent it 396 feet for a two-run homer in the first inning. The Padres never recovered.

Lucchesi has put up respectable numbers -- he's 6-7 with a 3.79 ERA and his ERA ranks second-lowest in the Padres rotation. But he's yet to have his "defining game," a start where everything comes together and he's able to pitch will full conviction and potential.
"I'm waiting for that moment where I have everything clicking," Lucchesi said. "Baseball's tough. I'm trying to figure it out day by day. I know I'm a rookie, but I'm not trying to make an excuse."
It's undoubtedly frustrating for Lucchesi, who stressed on the final day before the All-Star break he was going to "kill himself working" in the second half. But he's learning instead to take each day as its own, knowing that he can't press his own performance.
"I used to be bad at that, not flushing it, just thinking about it, but I'm getting better," he said. "I just try to go in with a positive mindset and tell myself I prepared really well for this game and go from there. I go one pitch at a time. ... Usually, it goes out well, but tonight wasn't the night."
Lucchesi hasn't shown much durability all season, although that isn't the worst-case scenario, considering how good the Padres' bullpen has been, and how much the organization has stressed the desire to not overwork its young pitchers. But since a hip strain landed him on the disabled list in late May, Lucchesi has only pitched past the fifth innings five times in his last 10 starts -- a stark contrast to the eight out of nine starts he recorded before the injury.
His command has gotten away from him in his last two starts -- though he managed it much better in his first attempt -- and his inability to effectively locate his fastball has led to much higher pitch counts. He was knocked out of Friday's game after 90 pitches.

"If he can find a way to get some early, weak contact, that's going to play really well for him to get some quick at-bats where things move a little bit faster," manager Andy Green said. "That's a big step for him, if he finds a pitch to do that, because his tends for a swing-and-miss pitch, and if his fastball isn't driven to the spots it needs to be, it tends to elongate at-bats."
"I think the biggest mistake I had was leaving all my pitches over the plate and they took advantage of it," Lucchesi added. "I wasn't as sharp and I have to better than that."
SUPER UTILITY
Christian Villanueva made his first career start at second base on Friday night, and he wasn't tested much. He turned a double play in the third and made a nice stop on a forceout in the fourth. If Villanueva can prove his worth at second (and potentially short), he'd seriously increase his value to the Padres.
But the most eventful part of Villanueva's night came in the seventh. He was plunked by a Jake Diekman curveball in the left foot -- the same foot he appeared to injure on a foul ball on Thursday. After a brief delay, Villanueva remained in the game, but he'd be removed in a double switch half an inning later.

HE SAID IT
"I don't know what the ERA is at right now -- it was three-something today, I don't think it's far off that if it's much at all. If you're going to walk through your rookie year and be in that category, you're having a really nice rookie season. Are there things he can grow in? Sure. Will he do that? Yeah, he will." -- Green, on the team's confidence in Lucchesi
MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
Eric Hosmer and Manuel Margot both homered for the Padres, who dropped their fourth straight game. Both also got a little assistance from their fans.

Hosmer knocked D-backs starter Robbie Ray out of the game in the fifth inning after connecting on a 2-0 pitch that just barely got over the left-field fence for a solo shot. Jonathan Jay probably had a shot of robbing Hosmer, but a fan in a Padres jersey made contact with Jay's glove with a full cup of beer. Upon an umpire review, crew chiefs were unable to definitively determine if the fan had made contact over the field of play, and the call of a home run was upheld. More >>
Jay was foiled yet again in the eighth inning when Margot lifted a solo homer of his own. Margot lifted Matt Andriese's offering which hung long enough for Jay to time his leap, but a fan clad in a Padres t-shirt caught the ball instead. Jay held his arms up in obvious frustration, but there would be no review.

UP NEXT
Clayton Richard takes the hill Saturday on the heels of one of his best performances of the season. Richard hurled eight innings of two-run ball vs. the Angels -- needing just 86 pitches -- but was lifted in the ninth for a pinch-hitter. He's 10-6 in 19 starts vs. the D-backs in his career, but is 0-1 in two starts against them this season. He'll face off against Zack Godley, who picked up the win vs. the Padres last month after stumping San Diego's offense for one run and four hits over six innings. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. PT.