the highest-finishing Honda in sixth, while Ganassi teammate Scot

SAN DIEGO -- Luis Perdomo sent a message to the San Diego Padres: He wants a spot in the rotation next season.Perdomo ended a three-start losing streak, Travis Jankowski and Alex Dickerson homered, and the Padres beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-1 Sunday for a four-game split.A 23-year-old right-hander who had never pitched above Class A before this season, Perdomo (6-7) also beat the Diamondbacks at Arizona on July 4.Somebody is hitting him because the numbers say so, Arizona manager Chip Hale said. But thats twice now that hes got us.Perdomo (6-7) took a shutout into the seventh and wound up allowing an unearned run and five hits in seven innings.He wants feedback. He wants to be better. He doesnt want to just be here, Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley said. He is very easy to work with and he has made huge strides in everything hes done.Arizona didnt have a runner in scoring position until the seventh, and Phil Gosselin got there on a throwing error by Perdomo. Brandon Drury, who had two of Arizonas five hits, singled in Gosselin to cut the Diamondbacks deficit to 7-1.Alexei Ramirez added a two-run double in the eighth.Thats my best outing, for sure, Perdomo said through a translator. I was just focusing on attacking when I got up there. ... Im really just trying to do the best work I can, and pitch as well as I can.Hale said Perdomos sinker was the difference.He does a good job with that, Hale said. It comes in to the right-handers and away from the lefties.Braden Shipley (2-3) gave up seven runs and seven hits over 5 1/3 innings in a matchup of the teams with the poorest records in the NL West.I felt my stuff today was the best it had been all year, said Shipley, a right-handed rookie. It was unfortunate what happened today, but it will turn around.Jankowski, who has reached in a career-best 20 games, hit his second home run of the season in the second inning for a 2-0 lead. Adam Rosales had an RBI triple in the fifth and scored on a double by Perdomo, the first RBI by the pitcher in 25 career big league at-bats.Thats my main objective, to get on base, Jankowski said. I know if I get on base we can get things rolling. Weve got a really good offense and it all starts with someone getting on base.Dickersons leadoff homer in the sixth and Brett Wallaces RBI double made it 6-0 and chased Shipley. Patrick Kivlehan singled in a run against Dominic Leone.Im kind of just relaxed up there, said Kivlehan, who homered in his major league debut on Saturday. Im just in one of those modes where I just want to help the team win any way I can.TRAINERS ROOMDiamondbacks: RHP Rubby De La Rosa (right elbow) will resume a throwing program, with the team seeking to build him up to 70 pitches for some September starts.Padres: CF Jon Jay (broken right arm) took some swings off the tee on Sunday. He could return to the club in early September.UP NEXTDiamondbacks: RHP Zack Godley (4-2) starts Monday in the opener of a four-game series against visiting Atlantas. Godley defeated the New York Mets on Wednesday, allowing two runs in a career-high 7 1/3 innings.Padres: RHP Edwin Jackson (3-3) opens a three-game series Monday against the visiting Chicago Cubs. Jackson allowed a season-high eight runs over four innings in a loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday.Melvin Frazier Jersey Custom Orlando Magic Jerseys . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. http://www.magicauthentic.com/kids-grant-hill-magic-jersey/ . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Penny Hardaway Jersey . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. D.J. Augustin Magic Jersey . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. FORT WORTH, Texas -- Helio Castroneves fourth IndyCar victory at Texas was much different than his other ones. Instead of driving flat out and side by side with other cars at more than 210 mph almost every lap on the high-banked, 1 1/2-mile track, this time it was about managing tires along with a different aero package providing less downforce. And just holding on. "A lot of cars were going forwards and a lot of cars were going backwards," Castroneves said. "Because of that, it just changed and you had to be ahead of the game." Team Penske and Castroneves nailed the setup and their strategy Saturday night to finally get their first victory this season. Castroneves led the final 132 laps and finished 4.7 seconds ahead of Ryan Hunter-Reay. His other three Texas victories -- in 2004, 2006 and 2009 -- were by a combined margin of just over 1 second. "Oh man, that was interesting. ... It was like, at times, a race against yourself, just to save the tires and keep yourself off the wall. It was just a very challenging race," Hunter-Reay said. "I was searching around for grip, getting into a rhythm, but definitely have had the full range of racing here at Texas Motor Speedway from 2008 to now." The top five finishers were Chevrolets, and those were the only cars to finish on the lead lap. Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan was third, followed by Ed Carpenter and Marco Andretti. Hunter-Reay led 35 of the 228 laps, all of his up front in the first half of the race. "Its so difficult to get the package exactly right with the downforce and the tires and the degradation of the tires," he said. "As a series were working toward that." Texas, always known for some of the fastest and closest IndyCar races, was the first of four consecutive oval events for IndyCar. The Milwaukee Mile is next. Kanaan, a past winner at Texas, was already ready to talk about the package for next year in the Lone Star State after what he described as an exciting and long night. "I dont know what happened behind me, but I can tell you that I had my hands full," Kanaan said. Asked what its like on the high-speed track when the tires start going away like they are designed to do, Kanaan responded, "Its extremely uncomfortable.dddddddddddd Because here, youre along for the ride." Hunter-Reay described a lack of predictability about what will happen without tires and with less downforce. "The car gives you a feeling and then it does something different," he said. "It does not want to get into the corner at all. ... The car does not want to come up out of the bank. Once it does, the rear just snaps loose, and I had some major ones, corrections. Im sure everybody did." Castroneves held on for his 28th career victory, and became the seventh winner in eight IndyCar races this season. He also took over sole possession of the points lead, breaking a tie with Andretti, who dropped 22 points back and is still without a victory. Will Power, Castroneves teammate who was the polesitter, finished seventh. Penske got his eighth IndyCar win at Texas, along three NASCAR victories there (two Sprint Cup, one Nationwide). Chip Ganassis team, which has won four IndyCar races at Texas, is still looking for a win anywhere this season. Dario Franchitti was the highest-finishing Honda in sixth, while Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon was 23rd in the 24-car field after finishing only 61 laps because of an apparent gear shaft problem. Andretti led the first 53 laps after starting on the front row, before giving up the lead on a green-flag stop. He led only four more laps before Castroneves went high around him late on lap 96 and stayed in front. "The car was absolutely on rails," Castroneves said. Before Oriol Servia spun out right in front of him on lap 113, Castroneves had built a 14-second lead over defending race winner Justin Wilson. Castroneves was able to get around Servias car without any issue, and his ensuing stop under caution ended a sequence of 61 laps without a stop -- after an early 54-lap run. "We knew we wanted to run as long as we could, and the tires were so good when we took them off the first time, we didnt have to worry," Penske said. "We just stayed steady the whole time. ... Helio did a great job. He drove all night long and coming up on cars that are 10-15 miles an hour slower and is able to maintain his speed and the distance between cars behind him." ' ' '