Hoyt Gets His 11th Straight in Padre Win

LaMarr Hoyt, who used to pitch for a team that won ugly, now pitches for a team that runs ugly.

But he still wins.

On Saturday afternoon, while the Padres were “manufacturing” four runs, Hoyt shut down the Pirates on five hits for his 11th straight victory, 4-2, moving San Diego into a temporary first-place tie with the Dodgers. Los Angeles defeated the Cardinals, 3-0, Saturday night to regain its half-game lead.

Pittsburgh had taken a 1-0 lead on a home run by Steve Kemp, who was a teammate of Hoyt’s in Chicago. But then came the Padres’ four runs, which were partly hilarious and definitely precarious.

Run No. 1--In the fourth inning, Steve Garvey reached on a bloop single to center. Garvey, running on a 3-2 pitch to Graig Nettles but not very swiftly, went all the way to third on Nettles’ single to right. He scored on Terry Kennedy’s meek ground out to shortstop.

Run No. 2--Garvey led off the fifth by grounding to third, but Bill Madlock’s throw to first was low. The ball bounced off first baseman Jason Thompson’s glove, off Garvey’s batting helmet and into foul territory. Garvey stood at second. Nettles grounded out, advancing Garvey to third. Kennedy again grounded meekly to shortstop and Garvey scored the go-ahead run.

Runs Nos. 3 and 4--Garry Templeton, with one out in the seventh inning, doubled to left-center and went to third on Hoyt’s grounder to second. Hoyt actually had a chance to beat out the grounder, but he had no interest in reaching base. He’d already reached on an error in the third inning, and running to second on a ground ball had tuckered him out.

Anyway, Tim Flannery came up with Templeton on third. He was using Tony Gwynn’s mini-bat (31 ounces), which he’d switched to last weekend and had great success with. Boom. On his first swing, he broke the bat.

Gwynn grimaced.

So Flannery went and got his own bat and ended up hitting a single to left field to drive in Templeton.

“I’m psycho,” Flannery said later of his musical bats routine.

At that point, Pittsburgh Manager Chuck Tanner replaced starter and loser Rick Rhoden with Al Holland. As Holland walked slowly from the bullpen, Ozzie Virgil, the Padre third base coach, gave Flannery the steal sign.

“I don’t get it (the steal sign) very often, but I know what it is,” Flannery said. “I don’t want to miss it or I might never get it again.”

He stole second, getting a superb jump and beating Tony Pena’s throw.

Gwynn, using his own bat, promptly singled to left, a blooper that just fell beyond shortstop Sam Khalifa, and Flannery scored.

Four ugly runs.

The Pirates, in many ways, are used to these kooky losses. Pittsburgh has scored two runs or fewer in 42 games this year and have a 2-40 record in those contests. Tanner has a pin on his cap that says “Attitude,” but sometimes it’s not clear that the last-place Pirates have a very good one.

“The way we’ve been playing, you see some stuff you just never see around a baseball field, nor do you want to see again,” said Thompson, who had recently left the team to be with his pregnant wife.

Still, there was some good news for Pittsburgh, considering Kemp hit that homer (his second) and later had a double. He had hit .310 over 11 games before Saturday, and the reason is that he has gone back to his batting stance from his days in Detroit. Back then, he had hit off his back foot.

“Somewhere, I got away from it,” he said. “I started hitting off my front foot.”

Now, he’s back to hitting off his back foot, which means he’s back.

Said Hoyt: “I’m glad Steve’s hitting somebody again. He’s a great guy. In the American League, he’d hit the ball like a bullet every time up. He’s a good person to have on your team. If I’m going to get hit, I’d rather get hit by him.”

Hoyt appeared to be having trouble with other Pirates in the eighth. After Kemp doubled, Marvell Wynne also doubled, scoring Kemp. But Hoyt would say later, “I’m up 4-1, and that situation calls for you to throw strikes and keep it in the park. I could afford to give up a home run then. But after Wynne got that hit, I adjusted.”

Few batters adjust to Hoyt, however. They’re in a dilemma when they face him because he can throw strikes so easily. Hitters, by nature, either wait for certain pitches, wait for a ball in a specific location or just hit the ball where it’s pitched. Against Hoyt, if they wait for a certain pitch, they’re doomed because Hoyt has more than 12 of them. If they wait for a certain spot, they’re doomed because he moves the ball in and out so well.

So they just can’t guess. They must hit it where it’s pitched.

That’s what Kemp did.

But he was the only one who did it so effectively during Hoyt’s eight innings. Goose Gossage pitched the ninth and earned his 20th save.

Hoyt is 13-4, and Manager Dick Williams (again) mentioned how lucky Hoyt was to win that game in New York back in May when he was 2-4 and Gary Carter stood at the plate in the first inning with the bases loaded and no outs.

“Amazing he got out of that,” Williams said.

Hoyt, who has since become MVP of the All-Star Game, said: “Reality is just around the corner. This streak is no big deal. I’ll lose again. It’s only a matter of time. I’ll just try to postpone it as long as possible.”

Sometimes, the Padres, perhaps the slowest team in the National League, seem to postpone scoring runs.

“We manufactured them today,” Garvey said.

And it was ugly.

Padre Notes

LaMarr Hoyt said he likes the Padres’ new four-man rotation. “I’ve only lost one time in my career throwing off a four-man,” he said. . . . Catcher Terry Kennedy says Hoyt calls 50% of the game himself. “Just when I think I’ve got him figured out, he doesn’t want what I call,” Kennedy said. . . . Hoyt on his MVP performance at the All-Star Game: “I just figured I’d go out and have fun, and possibly win. But, really, I just wanted to go out there and not embarrass myself. That was my No. 1 priority.” . . . Tim Flannery still is undergoing therapy on his shoulder, an injury suffered in the John Denny fight on June 4. That was the day that Phillie pitcher Kevin Gross body-slammed Flannery, keeping him away from Denn. . . . Pitcher Andy Hawkins left Friday night’s game after seven innings not because he was tired or ineffective, but because of the new mini-pennant race. Since the Padres are determined to be in first place by the Aug. 6 strike date, Manager Dick Williams has moved to a four-man pitching rotation, and, thus, he wanted to save Hawkins’ arm and took him out early. “We’re on a four-man rotation now, and we’re playing these games day-by-day. So if we get a big lead like that, you’ll be jerked out to save you for the next start.” Could he have pitched longer if necessary? “Oh yeah,” Hawkins said. Also, even though Hawkins hadn’t had a victory since June 9, he said he never lost confidence in himself.

PADRES AT A GLANCE

Scorecard THIRD INNING Pirates--Kemp homered to right, his second. Khalifa grounded out to short. Rhoden grounded out to first. Wynne reached on a bunt single. Wynne was caught stealing. One run, two hits, none left.

FOURTH INNING Padres--With one out, Garvey blooped a single to center. Nettles singled to right, Garvey taking third. Kennedy grounded out to short, Garvey scoring, Nettles taking second. Martinez walked. McReynolds struck out. One run, two hits, two left.

SIXTH INNING Padres--Garvey reached second on Madlock’s throwing error. Nettles grounded out to second, Garvey taking third. Kennedy grounded to short, Garvey scoring. Martinez flied out to left. One run (unearned), no hits, none left.

SEVENTH INNING Padres--With one out, Templeton doubled to left center. Hoyt grounded out to second, Templeton taking third. Flannery singled to left, Templeton scoring. Holland took the mound. Flannery stole second. Gwynn looped a single to left, Flannery scoring. Garvey flied out to center. Two runs, three hits, one left.

EIGHTH INNING Pirates--Kemp doubled to center. Khalifa popped out to second. Mazilli, pinch-hitting for Holland, grounded out to first. Wynne doubled to center, Kemp scoring. Orsulak popped out to short. One run, two hits, one left.