Spring Training / Padres : Everyone Wants a Piece of The Garv

According to the No. 8 jersey on his back, the Padres’ first baseman in Monday’s game here against the San Francisco Giants was named Connally. But Steve Garvey was actually the man inside the shirt.

His jersey had been stolen.

“Someone has a Garvey shirt for a souvenir,” Garvey said. “An old shirt.”

And the day went downhill from there. Garvey was spiked on the top of the left foot on the final play of a 4-1 Giant victory and went to the hospital for two stitches.

Everyone seems to want a piece of Garvey these days, be it the shirt off his back or a hunk of his foot.

Garvey was injured sliding into second on the front end of a game-ending double play grounder by Kevin McReynolds. Brad Wellman, the Giants’ second baseman, came down on his foot.

Fortunately for Garvey, the wound would not keep him out of the lineup if the Padres were in the regular season. Trainer Dick Dent said he could play right away.

Carmelo Martinez cannot play right away.

His troublesome left hand was subjected to surgery back in San Diego on Monday, and he will probably be out two to four weeks.

Initially injured during winter baseball in Puerto Rico, Martinez has not been able to comfortably swing a bat yet this spring. When X-rays disclosed a break near the base of his thumb, club physicians decided that surgery was needed.

Should Martinez miss four weeks, the Padres would have to find someone else to play left field for the season opener.

Free agent Al Bumbry is hitting like he would like to make himself at home in San Diego. Bumbry had two of the Padres’ six hits on Monday and scored their only run. The former Baltimore star is hitting .600 with 9 hits in 15 at-bats.

Stumbling along with one win in seven games so far this spring, the Padres can blame their defense. The pitching staff, for example, has given up 32 runs--but only 17 of them have been earned.

The defense has committed 14 errors, seven of them by second baseman Alan Wiggins.

Wiggins committed two errors in the third inning Monday. Manny Trillo reached first when his line drive skipped through Wiggins’ legs for one error and scored when Wiggins threw wildly trying to complete a double play for another error.

Yet another writer was apparently doing yet another story on how nasty Manager Dick Williams can be, so he inquired about Chris Welsh.

The left-handed pitcher was yanked from an early season game in 1983 because he ignored Williams’ instructions. Shortly thereafter, he was sold to Montreal.

“Chris Welsh?” Williams said Monday. “Who in hell is Chris Welsh? I made Chris Welsh famous.”

There have been rumors that the Giants are going to move after the 1985 season, either as near as San Jose or as far as Washington, D.C.

However, another candidate manifested itself on Monday when the mayor of Watsonville, Calif., was introduced to the crowd.

“Watsonville,” said a voice in the press box. “The artichoke capital of the world. That’s where the Giants ought to move. The ‘choke capital.”

Padre Notes

Tony Gwynn seems ready to start the season. He has nine hits in seven games and a .450 batting average. . . . Vida Blue has been impressive in his comeback bid with the Giants. He pitched four shutout innings in a B game against Seattle on Monday, giving him 10 innings pitched with only one run allowed. . . . Craig Lefferts “pitched” for the cycle in his two innings Monday, giving up a single, double, triple and homer. The triple was hit by former Padre Doug Gwosdz, a catcher who will never be confused with Carl Lewis.