Notes from Peoria, Ariz., and another bad Padres loss …• Brandon McCarthy threw four no-hit innings and seems to have locked up a rotation slot in Texas, although no-hitting this Padres lineup isn't exactly difficult. McCarthy showed an average fastball Wednesday, topping out at 91 mph, not quite what he showed in his previous outing, but it's good enough when he commands it, which he did. He has a hard slurve around 82-83 mph that is unusual for an in-between breaking ball in that it has power and an accelerating break. (The moniker "slurve" usually is derogatory, referring to a pitch that is neither slider nor curve and should be nudged in one direction or the other.) It's not a finished pitch -- he threw at least two at the same velocity with a weaker break and no angle -- but the above-average pitch is in there. He showed good arm speed on his changeup, which was his best pitch before his arm trouble, and it had OK, but not great, fade. If this is what he has, he's a back-end starter, throwing strikes with average stuff. If he still is regaining arm strength or his breaking ball becomes a lot more consistent (consistently good, that is), he can come closer to meeting the industry's expectations for him from before he got hurt.• Neftali Feliz threw the last two innings for Texas, sitting 92-95 mph in his first inning and 93-96 in his second, touching 98. His slider was better than his changeup Wednesday -- the reverse of the last time I saw him -- and while it wasn't totally consistent, he threw several tight sliders with good tilt at about 78-80 mph and commanded them better than I'd seen him do before. His fastball command wasn't great, and his changeup was lousy -- the two-run homer he surrendered was on a changeup that just sort of sat there with "HIT ME" written on it in Helvetica Bold. It is amazing how easy his velocity is; he looks like he's playing catch, and suddenly there's a "96" on the gun.• Two young guys who took bad at-bats all game: Elvis Andrus and Will Venable. Don't be afraid to work the count a little, fellas. It won't bite.• If the Padres were in any other division, they'd be likely to lose 95-plus, possibly 100-plus, games. There's a good chance their Opening Day lineup will feature four players who wouldn't start every day for just about any other club and only one player who's solidly above average (Adrian Gonzalez).If Chris Young is as bad as he was when I saw him the other day, they could have four starters who wouldn't make anyone else's rotation. Other than high-hard-fastball-throwing Heath Bell, their bullpen is full of soft-tossing, odd-delivery guys. Talking to scouts and executives from other clubs, two consistent themes emerge: They think the Padres' big league team is one of the worst in baseball, and they think the Padres' front office sees the club very differently.• Rule 5 pick Everth Cabrera can run, can pick it at short, has good hands, makes a quick transfer and has a good arm. At the plate, though, he was behind every fastball, even at just 90 mph. I'm sure the Padres can justify keeping him based on his defensive and baserunning value, but the game is too fast for him as a hitter, and they risk retarding his development if they keep him but barely let him hit because he's so futile.• In the last at-bat of the game, Matt Antonelli was ahead 3-1 and chased a ball down that he popped up to short right field. It's not so much the result but the process -- in a hitter's count, you need to get a pitch to drive, not simply swing at what's offered.• Not to overrate one inning, but Edwin Moreno showed an above-average splitter at 82-85 mph. His fastball is average and straight, but the Padres have had success with guys who fit the formula (average fastball) + (good control) + (one good secondary pitch) because of their ballpark. San Diego's bullpen looks pretty open from here, and if the one-inning look was accurate, Moreno probably could help the Padres as long as he throws strikes.• Expect to see a big wave of demotions across baseball by Friday. After that, a player on the 40-man roster who is injured in big league camp must be placed on the major league disabled list -- meaning he gets major league pay and service time -- even if he didn't have any major league service time in the prior season. Players who didn't appear in the majors in 2008 and are hurt in big league camp still can be optioned before the deadline, and players who are not on the 40-man roster can be reassigned at any time even if hurt.