Perdomo's outing evidence of progression

Luis Perdomo strikes out Jayson Werth swinging to strand the runner at second and end the 4th inningWASHINGTON -- Coming off the worst start of his career, Luis Perdomo again did not have his best stuff Friday night. The Padres' sinkerballing right-hander surrendered a leadoff home run to Trea Turner and instantly found himself in the midst of a battle.

But over the past year, Perdomo has matured immensely as a pitcher. And in that sense, Friday's 5-1 loss to the Nationals offered a testament to how far he's progressed.

On a night when the Padres bullpen desperately needed a starter to eat innings, Perdomo offered six of them, despite second-tier versions of his sinker and his slider. He…