Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.

   Rookie right-hander Cal Quantrill has been the Padres most effective pitcher over the last six weeks.

   Quantrill, the Padres first-round pick (eighth overall) in the 2016 draft, is 4-1 over his last five appearances (four starts) and 5-1 in 11 appearances (six starts) dating back to June 23.

   The 24-year-old, who is now a fixture in the Padres rotation, threw a career-high 108 pitches Wednesday afternoon, holding the Tampa Bay Rays to two runs on three hits and a walk with four strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. For good measure, he added the first hit and RBI of his Major League career.

   Beginning with a two-inning, scoreless relief outing on June 23, Quantrill has given up 11 runs (nine earned) on 31 hits and 11 walks with 34 walks in 43 1/3 innings for a 1.87 earned run average and a 0.969 WHIP.

   Quantrill has now made four straight starts dating back to July 27 and has won three straight home starts at Petco Park.

   NOTEBOOK:

• When 2B Luis Urias returned from Triple-A El Paso on July 20, Padres manager Andy Green said he would be playing regularly. As did the regular season, the return of the 22-year-old Urias (who is the Padres’ second-ranked prospect) got off to a slow start. He had one hit in 24 at-bats to drop his season batting average to .068. Since then, however, Urias has gone 14-for-38 (.368) with three doubles, six walks, 3 hit-by-pitches, 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored for a slash line of .368/.489/.436/.925. He had three RBIs in each of his last two games against Tampa Bay. The surge has raised his batting average 118 points to .186.

• OF Wil Myers has reached base in nine straight games, including a seven-game hitting streak. Myers is 8-for-31 (.258) during the streak with two doubles, a home run, six RBIs and three walks. It is his longest on-base streak since a 12-game on-base streak since the final month of 2017.

• 1B Eric Hosmer was 7-for-12 with a homer, two doubles, three RBIs and three runs scored in the three-game series against Tampa Bay – raising his batting average to .287 for the season. He now has 81 RBIs on the season – the most by a Padre since Myers drove in 94 in 2015.  

• The Padres have been seeking a "longer" batting order. Wednesday -- Top 4 hitters in lineup: 3-for-18, two walks, two runs, a RBI. Hitters 5-8: 6-for-12, a double, a homer, three walks, a hit-by-pitcher, five runs scored and four RBIs.