Padres Find Another Way to Lose to Cubs

If it’s not one thing, it’s another. The Padres lost their fourth straight game Wednesday night, 4-3, to the Chicago Cubs in 10 innings, by finding a new and improved way to lose.

A bobble--In the top of the the 10th with two outs and with Ryne Sandberg on third and Leon Durham on first, pinch-hitter Richie Hebner, age 37, grounded a ball up the middle. Padre shortstop Garry Templeton ran a long way to pick it up, but bobbled it. Hebner may be 37, but he’s slim. Templeton’s throw was low to first baseman Carmelo Martinez, but he caught it just as Hebner crossed the base.

First base umpire Steve Rippley said “safe.”

That was it.

“I don’t know, man,” said Martinez, who was playing first because Steve Garvey and Terry Kennedy, who had led a ninth-inning rally to tie the game at 3-3, had already left for pinch-runners. “It was real close.”

A gamble--The Padres had trailed 3-2 entering the bottom of the ninth with Cub reliever Lee Smith on the mound. But Garvey, who had hit that memorable playoff homer here against Smith, lined a double off the left-center-field wall. Jerry Davis ran for Garvey, and scored on Kennedy’s single through a pulled in infield. Jerry Royster ran for Kennedy. There were two outs, with Kevin McReynolds up.

But Royster, on his own, decided to steal, a move that Dick Williams agreed with. But Royster was thrown out by catcher Steve Lake.

“If I make it, we have a chance to win,” Royster said. “If I don’t, we’re still tied. But we’ve got to quit sitting around waiting for home runs. We’re waiting for the big inning too much. You can’t expect guys to hit and hit all year. We (runners) have got to throw in our two cents, too.”

A walk--Sandberg, who wound up going 7 for 13 in this series, had led off by drawing a walk from Tim Stoddard on four straight balls. Where was Goose Gossage? Had Williams gone to Gossage in the top of the 10th, he would have had to pinch-hit for him in the bottom of the ining. That, he said, would have been a waste.

As it turned out, Sandberg was sacrificed to second and went to third on a fly ball. Durham was walked intentionally, and Craig Lefferts was summoned to face the left-handed hitting Hebner.

Hebner, who has 11 pinch-hit RBIs this year, came through.

By a hair.

The Padres trail the division leading Dodgers by 2 1/2 games.

LaMarr Hoyt (still 13-4) had started this game and struggled. His first pitch of the night was a fastball. But Bob Dernier, the first batter, is a fastball hitter.

He singled to center.

Next up was Sandberg, who had driven in 21 runs in his last 27 games. On a 2-and-2 pitch, he suddenly had 23 RBIs in 28 games, for he homered over the left-field fence.

Just like that, 2-0.

It seemed familiar, too. Since July 6, the Padres have yet to score in the first inning. But opponents have scored on their first try five times in that span, a stat which, surprise, corresponds to the Padre slump. The Cubs lengthened their lead to 3-0 in the third on Gary Matthews’ RBI double. Matthews had come off of the disabled list Tuesday, but Manager Jim Frey kept him on the bench since Davey Lopes was so hot.

But Frey swore Matthews would be in the lineup soon.

The way Lopes was playing, however, the Padres hoped it’d be sooner than later.

And it was. But then Matthews got them too.

Meanwhile, Cub starter Dennis Eckersley was sharp, his sinker sinking like it was supposed to. He retired the first 10 batters and struck out half of them. Also, he was ahead in the count to the first nine batters.

But then Tony Gwynn delivered a double on a ball that Keith Moreland kicked around in right field. Seemingly, Gwynn would have a chance for a triple, but the Padres are conservative with their rare base runners these days. Gwynn was held up at second.

Still, it didn’t matter. Graig Nettles, who knew Eckersley from his days in the American League, homered to right, bringing the Padres within a run and bringing the 30,175 fans to their feet.

But the Padres couldn’t tie it. Tim Flannery led off the sixth with a walk. Gwynn, thinking it was about time to score, put on the hit and run sign. So Flannery ran. But Gwynn couldn’t hit a high fastball way out of the strike zone, and Flannery was out stealing. And, naturally, Garvey ended up hitting a double to left in the same inning, which might have scored Flannery if . . .

Hoyt hung in. In the seventh, Dernier lined a ball hard to right field, but Garvey lunged to his right and snagged it. Up in the radio booth, they flashed their customary gold star for great defensive plays. Garvey waved, thanking them.

Padre Notes Andy Hawkins says his finger injury was not the cause of his poor pitching performance Tuesday night. “My pitches were all good,” he said. “I thought. But they just hit me.” So theories abound. One is that the four-man rotation, in use because of the possible strike, took away from his arm strength. Said Hawkins: “For a couple of weeks, it (the four-man) is not a bad idea. I don’t know about the rest of the season” . . . Tony Gwynn struck out in the first inning Wednesday night, his 23rd of the year, and that matches his total for all of last season. That’s his bad news. His good news is that he’s up over .300 again after spending six games under that mark.