Walker Buehler pitched four innings in his first turn in the Padres rotation. Germán Márquez lasted just three innings.
They’ll have to do better to keep their spots.
Among the pitchers who could vie for a call-up this season, left-hander JP Sears made his 2026 debut for Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday and allowed two runs in five innings in a 6-4 win at Sacramento.
Sears struck out two and allowed five hits and a walk in the start.
Sears was optioned to the minors to start the season. Three other pitchers who could push for starts in the majors this year are right-handers Joe Musgrove, Griffin Canning and Matt Waldron, all on the injured list.
Canning (Achilles) will make a rehab start for Double-A San Antonio on Saturday after throwing about 50 pitches in a sim game on Monday in Lake Elsinore.
Waldron (surgery) turned in three scoreless innings in a rehab start for El Paso last week.
Musgrove (Tommy John surgery), meanwhile, has not yet progressed beyond catch play.
Right-hander Logan Gillaspie (9.00 ERA) followed Sears into Tuesday’s game and allowed a run in two innings.
Right-hander Alek Jacob (0.00 ERA) walked two while recording two outs in the eighth.
Sung-Mun Song, who is rehabbing his oblique injury, played the entire game at shortstop and went 1-for-5 with an RBI. He has a .513 OPS through four rehab games.
Catcher Rodolfo Duran (1.029 OPS) went 2-for-4 with his first homer and three RBIs.
El Paso is 2-2.