PEORIA, Ariz. -- Sterling Hitchcock has all but cemented his standing as the Padres' fifth starter. Khalil Greene wrapped up the shortstop job when Rey Ordonez bolted camp last week. With Xavier Nady getting shipped to Triple-A, Terrence Long and Brian Buchanan will be the team's reserve outfielders.

Whether by strong play or circumstance, most of the roster battles to watch that Padres management identified leading into spring training have been resolved. One that hasn't is the position backing up catcher Ramon Hernandez, with Tom Wilson and Miguel Ojeda still in contention.

"I said that we'd make that decision toward the end of spring training, and I'm going to stick by it," manager Bruce Bochy said. "It will be a difficult call."

On paper so far, it looks like a mismatch. Ojeda, who played in 61 games for the Padres last year, is batting almost 250 points higher (.417 vs. .185) this spring than Wilson, claimed off waivers from Toronto in January. And though Bochy called the two catchers defensive equals, he also mentioned that Wilson would need some extra work on his throwing, which the manager said has been out of sync.

"That's all for (general manager) Kevin (Towers) and those guys to decide," Wilson said when asked about the competition. "Hopefully, I'll start getting some hits. I've played the last two years in the big leagues and I've put up pretty solid numbers offensively. I got that on my side; I have a little more experience than (Ojeda) does at the big-league level."

Unless Wilson begins to narrow the statistical gap, experience might have to be his trump card. A career minor-leaguer, the 33-year-old Wilson finally caught a break with the Blue Jays and racked up more than 500 at-bats the past two seasons, batting .257 with 13 home runs and 72 RBIs while at times hitting in the middle of the lineup. He also offers the Padres the versatility to play third or first base in a pinch.

"I think that's a plus for sure," Wilson said. "It definitely can't hurt."

The way Ojeda is playing, he could render his counterpart's advantages irrelevant. Ojeda, 29, struggled in his stint with the Padres last season, hitting .234 after the team signed him out of the Mexican League in May. But he worked on his game throughout the offseason, first during winter ball in Mexico and then in the Caribbean World Series.

It appears to be paying off, although Ojeda won't know for a another week or two.

"I worked hard all winter to make something happen," Ojeda said. "If they have to make a decision, I'm going to try to make that decision harder. I feel very good."

Good and bad for Eaton

His fourth start of the spring was a mixed bag for Padres right-hander Adam Eaton. Stretched out to 86 pitches in Tuesday's 9-3 loss to Texas, Eaton gave up a leadoff double followed by a two-run homer by Rancho Bernardo High grad Hank Blalock to start the game, and three more runs (two earned) over five innings of work.

But he also flashed overpowering stuff as evidenced by his nine strikeouts.

"Other than the mistakes that I made, I threw the ball pretty good," Eaton said. "My curveball was sharp except for a few, and I really located my fastball quite well. My changeup was outstanding. I think once I start throwing my sinker instead of that four-seamer, things are going to change a little bit."

Short hops

LHP David Wells, scheduled to start today's game against San Francisco in Scottsdale, will instead stay behind in Peoria because of a slight concern about a strained muscle in his chest. Wells is still probable to throw about 60 pitches in a minor-league game. … INF Jeff Cirillo, batting just .100 this spring, hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning Tuesday for his first extra-base hit.

Ballpark tour

A look at baseball's other stadiums, from oldest to newest, as we count down to Petco Park's April 8 opener. The 15th of 29:

PRO PLAYER STADIUM

• Team: Florida Marlins

• Opened: 1993

• Cost: $115

• Capacity: 36,331

• Dimensions: LF 330 feet, LC 385, CF 434, RC 385, RF 345

• Fast facts: South Florida might not have been able to celebrate two World Series championships if not for the foresight of former Miami Dolphins owner Joe Robbie. He built a new stadium for his NFL team but ordered it built wider than necessary in the belief major-league baseball would come to the area. That proved true in 1993, six years after the stadium opened for football. It was named after Robbie when it opened. Pro Player, a division of the Fruit of the Loom clothing company, bought naming rights in 1996. The Marlins have done a decent enough job of giving a football stadium a baseball feel, with odd outfield angles and a 26 1/2-foot scoreboard in left field that is in play. The small capacity figure is artificial since upper deck sections are covered with tarp. The Marlins tried to parlay last October's World Series victory into a new, retractable-domed stadium in downtown Miami that would ensure their future in Florida. After initial enthusiasm, support for the project has waned.

• id you know?: Joe Robbie Stadium, as it was called then, hosted 11 baseball exhibition games before the Marlins arrived.

Sources: Florida Marlins media guide, ballparks.com