Cardinals Run Right Past the Padres, 6-0

Vince Coleman, who now steals bases and publicity , was on the Busch Stadium video screen here between innings Thursday night, saying to the fans: “Please, while you’re here at the game, be considerate to your fellow man.”

In other words, he was telling people not to blow cigar smoke in other’s faces, stuff like that. Coleman then proceeded to treat the Padres and pitcher Mark Thurmond with complete disrespect, stealing three bases and scoring twice in an easy 6-0 St. Louis Cardinal victory over San Diego, which trimmed the Padre lead over the Dodgers to one-half game.

And it wasn’t only Coleman, for he just begins the track meet. After he gets on base and inevitably steals second (he has a league-leading 62 stolen bases), Willie McGee gets on. And since McGee runs a 4.45 40-yard dash (a little off Coleman’s 4.3 pace), he’ll steal, too. Thursday night, the tag team of Willie and Vince successful completed two double steals, which led to four runs, which led to the Padres’ third straight loss, which led to Cardinal pitcher John Tudor’s 10th straight victory.

Overall, the Cardinals stole eight bases, their season high, and the Padres, who are self-admittedly playing ridiculously, committed five errors.

“We look flat,” Manager Dick Williams said. “We’ve got to bounce back. We’re a half game in front. No one said it’d be easy, though, and we’ve got to hitch up our pants.”

And this was a night that Mark Thurmond could have hitched himself back into the starting rotation. He had begun this game in place of Andy Hawkins, who had cut his finger and still couldn’t throw breaking balls. Thurmond, out of the rotation for just under four weeks now, got a rare start and opportunity.

Actually, he didn’t pitch badly, as the Cardinals never really hit the ball very hard. But they’d hit it somewhere on the ground, and, with them, that’s enough, considering how they almost always beat out the throw. Coleman singled by third baseman Kurt Bevacqua in the first inning, and Willie McGee followed with a single to center. The first heat was on.

Immediately, Cardinal Manager Whitey Herzog ordered a double steal. Which they did. Thurmond, who Williams says has a very slow delivery to the plate, was hopeless. So was catcher Terry Kennedy.

Kennedy didn’t even throw the ball, and base runners stood on second and third. Two outs later, Tito Landrum hit a 3-1 high changeup into left field for a two-run single. Coleman jogged in to score, but McGee nearly passed him, running his hardest when he didn’t need to.

Kevin McReynolds committed the first Padre error in the second, botching a ball hit to right center, and Ozzie Smith scored from first after reaching on one of those patented Cardinal infield singles. In the fourth, Coleman reached first on a bunt. Bevacqua had fielded it and thrown it eight feet over Steve Garvey’s head, but Coleman had to hold at first since the ball bounced back to Garvey.

On a 2-0 Thurmond pitch, Coleman stole second. McGee walked on four pitches, and the second heat was on.

Again, Herzog ordered a double steal. This time, Kennedy threw to third, where the ball bounced in front of Bevacqua and on into left. Coleman scored, McGee safe at second. McGee then stole third, uncontested. Jack Clark followed with a looping base hit (he’d later hit a homer off Roy Lee Jackson), and it was 5-0 Cardinals in the fourth.

“It (the steals) wasn’t because of the catcher,” Williams said. “He (Thurmond) wasn’t holding them on. His delivery to the plate was slow, and they had good starts. They’re rabbits.”

Kennedy did manage to throw out Coleman in the sixth, but that was after Jackson had relieved Thurmond.

“The catcher always gets the blame,” Kennedy said. “In the sixth, I had a chance. I didn’t on any of the others. Maybe on the (Andy) Van Slyke’s steal (in the seventh).

“Our staff is not the best at getting rid of the ball quickly. Hawk’s good. Eric (Show) is pretty good. LaMarr (Hoyt) is pretty good. And now, Roy Lee.”

Said Thurmond: “I had as good concentration as I’ve ever had. I made good pitches. They got a lot of cheap hits, and the guys who got them were the guys who could run.

“They’ve stolen off everybody. I probably don’t have a quick delivery to the plate, but with a team like this, you just have to keep them off the bases.”

Tudor pretty much kept the Padres off the bases, yielding five hits. He actually retired 17 of 18 batters in a stretch from the third to the ninth inning. His record, 1-7 on May 29, is now 10-7. Apparently an old high school buddy saw a flaw in his delivery, and whether that made a difference or not, it sounds good. And Tudor has won nine straight.

As for Coleman, he is ahead of Lou Brock’s National League record pace for stolen bases, the record standing at 118. And the only reason he wouldn’t break it would be an inability to get on base. Lou Brock could hit. Can Coleman? His average is .274.

Earlier this season, Padre pitcher Eric Show said that he hadn’t thought Coleman was much of a hitter, yet. Coleman, young and defensive, was told of this and exploded, saying: “Who is he to tell me that? He’s no manager.”

McGee, his buddy and pal, was also upset by Show’s words, saying: “I must be seeing something different (than Show). I guarantee you he’ll be a .300 hitter. The way he works, he’ll develop into a good hitter. From Day 1, he’s progressed . . . A guy that scores, runs and steals bases doesn’t have to hit well anyway, but he is hitting. And they haven’t been cheap hits.

“Time well tell, though.”

Finally, the heat was off. Coleman and McGee left together, which, after what had transpired Thursday, seemed quite symmetrical.

Padre Notes

Padre Manager Dick Williams confirmed reports on Thursday that San Diego had discussed a possible trade with Texas involving third baseman Buddy Bell. General Manager Jack McKeon was unavailable for comment Thursday night, but sources in Texas said the Rangers are now talking to three teams in particular about a possible Bell trade--Baltimore, the New York Mets and the Padres. That source said the Rangers were interested in Padre pitcher Dave Dravecky, but that the Padres would not part with him. Earlier, Bell had submitted to the Rangers a list of 10 teams he’d like to be traded to, and that list included the Padres. Said Williams: “Well, I know we’ve talked to them . . . He’s a player.” The source said the Rangers liked two players in the Padre farm system, one of which was pitcher Bob Patterson. . . . LaMarr Hoyt and Joaquin Andujar were named to the all-star pitching squad Thursday, and happen to be pitching against each other tonight. Williams, the all-star manager, said: “Without taking anything away from Dwight Gooden, Nolan Ryan or Fernando Valenzuela, it could decide who’s the starting pitcher in the all-star game.” Andy Hawkins (11-2) was not chosen for the all-star game, but his cut finger probably was the reason. League president Chub Feeney, who is involved in the final decision, knew Hawkins would be missing Thursday’s start, and Williams said that probably weighed in the group decision not to choose Hawkins.