McCullers Finishes Off the Braves Quickly, 6-3

After he threw his first warmup pitch, a fastball that made Terry Kennedy’s glove go swuuuuuump, the fans at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium gasped in unison. Lance McCullers, the 21-year-old bull from the bullpen, was fast.

Fast to the plate.

And fast out of trouble.

He entered Friday night’s game in the sixth, an inning when a struggling Andy Hawkins threw a simple ground ball into center field and gave up a run that cut the Padre lead to one run. McCullers was in. He ran in fast from the bullpen.

Swuuuuump.

Very quickly, he walked a batter to load the bases. Just like that, Rafael Ramirez hit into a double play. Inning over.

Eventually, the game was over, the Padres scoring two more runs and defeating Atlanta, 6-3, and moving alone into second place ahead of Cincinnati. And McCullers, age 21, had save No. 2 in two tries. He’s 6-foot and full of gusto. Manager Dick Williams, an expert on gusto, would say afterward: “He’s cocky, but in a positive way.”

In the seventh, Dale Murphy lined a single to left off McCullers. McCullers rolled his eyes.

Then, he picked Murphy off first base.

“That surprised all of us,” Williams said. “He has a decent move, but that was a hell of a move.”

Said McCullers: “I guess I’m a little cocky, but you can’t be scared or you won’t do good. I guess I’m so-so cocky, but I’m not a (jerk). Yeah. I have a little cockiness in me.”

Since he has been a starter his entire life, McCullers, called up from the minors last week, isn’t used to the constant throwing that a relief pitcher does. It bothers his arm. After pitching the sixth, a knot grew in his right biceps.

Trainer Dick Dent rubbed it out.

“I’m OK,” said McCullers, who then went out and mixed in some sliders with his fastballs.

And on the subject of cocky, so too was Kevin McReynolds, who again took out his anger toward Williams on the baseball. He hit a hard single to left in the second inning and then homered to left in the fourth, his 12th of the season and first since July 23. Later, he left the game after he’d aggravated his heel injury, but it was he, not Williams who sat him on the bench.

“You’re swinging the bat good, and you hate to come out,” McReynolds said. “But I felt like it was best for the team. Any ball hit to the outfield, it’d be marginal if I’d get to it.”

McReynolds may or may not play Sunday, the next time the Padres play.

“It hurts,” he said. “That’s all I have to say about it.”

Incidentally, the losing pitcher was Rick Mahler, the Brave ace, who throws many, many breaking balls and few fastballs.

Hours before Mahler’s first pitch, the Padres were working on their game plan. In the batting cage, hitting coach Deacon Jones was saying: “Go the other way against him. Go the opposite way.” Jones then told the batting practice pitcher, Harry Dunlop, to throw a lot of junk.

He did.

Padre hitters went the other way.

And they did it in the game, too. In the second inning, when the Padres made it 2-0, left-handed hitter Graig Nettles, who went 3 for 3, singled to left, and later scored when Tim Flannery, another lefty, singled to left. Garry Templeton scored the second run with yet another opposite-field single.

Yet, on the opposite end, the Braves were getting to Padre starter Andy Hawkins, who told Williams he never had anything good all day, and that included warmups. He gave up an RBI double to Murphy and an RBI single to Bob Horner in the second, as the Braves tied it up.

Murphy, particularly, had to be glad to rid himself of Dodger pitching, for he had been 1 for 17 in a four-game series in Los Angeles. He later had that single off McCullers, but, of course, this was when he was embarrassed on the pickoff play.

The Padres broke the 2-2 tie in the third when Tony Gwynn doubled to right and then scored on Terry Kennedy’s ground out to the shortstop, Rafael Ramirez. Incidentally, Gwynn’s double showed how baseball changes from day to day.

On Thursday, in a devastating Padre loss to Cincinnati, Gwynn had come within inches of lining a ball on the left-field foul line. And in that same at-bat, he just missed on the right-field foul line, too.

His double on Friday, though, hit smack on the chalk.

McReynolds hit his homer in the fourth, making it 4-2. Again, he was using that light bat, the “S-44” that sounds as if it’s cracked. Cracked or not, it was McReynolds’ fifth straight hit counting Thursday’s game, and, even if you doubted his method, Williams apparently woke up McReynolds simply by making him mad, by keeping him out of the lineup last week.

McReynolds aggravated his injury sliding home in the second inning. Templeton had singled off third baseman Ken Oberkfell’s glove, scoring Carmelo Martinez. McReynolds, too, tried to score, but he was out at the plate, and says he said ouch when he got up.

He was limping.

And, since it was numb, he almost never made it out there for the third inning.

“But the feeling came back, although I wish it hadn’t because it hurt,” he said.

But his homer hurt the Braves.

Padre Notes Reliever Goose Gossage will join the Padres on their next trip, which begins Tuesday in Montreal, although he isn’t due off the disabled list until Aug. 23. If he is activated then, the Padres would have to take someone off their roster to make room. Still, Manager Dick Williams said: “By the time Goose is activated, it’ll be around the first of September, and by then we can go to a full 40-man roster.” Gossage has been throwing, although not off of a mound. “The doc (Cliff Colwell) told me yesterday he’s doing very well,” Williams said Friday. “He’ll go on the road. He’ll be evaluated, I think, on the 19th (Monday) and they may let him know when he can start throwing.” . . . Hours before Friday’s game, television types were testing the cables that hold a new overhead camera being used for football games these days, and this was only because the Chargers play the Cowboys here on national television tonight. Padre hitters never did hit any of the cables during batting practice, but Williams mentioned that the overhead camera was feasible for baseball and actually was utilized at the All-Star Game in Minnesota.

PADRES AT A GLANCE

Scorecard SECOND INNING Padres--With one out, Nettles singled to left. Martinez walked. McReynolds singled to left, loading the bases. Flannery singled to left, Nettles scoring. Hawkins struck out. Templeton singled to left, Martinez scoring with McReynolds out at the plate. Two runs, four hits.

THIRD INNING Braves--Washington doubled to right. Ramirez grounded to second, Washington taking third. Murphy doubled to right-center, Washington scoring. Horner singled to center, Murphy scoring. Harper popped to first. Oberkfell popped to the catcher. Two runs, three hits, one left.

Padres--Gwynn doubled down the right-field line. Garvey grounded to short, Gwynn taking third. Kennedy grounded to short, Gwynn scoring. Nettles singled to right. Martinez flied to right. One run, two hits, one left.

FOURTH INNING Padres--McReynolds homered to left, his 12th. Flannery singled to right. Hawkins struck out. Flannery took second on a wild pitch. Templeton grounded to third. Gwynn grounded to second. One run, two hits, one left.

SIXTH INNING Braves--Oberkfell singled to center. Hubbard popped to second. Cerone reached on fielder’s choice on Hawkins’ throwing error, Oberkfell taking third. Thompson, batting for Mahler, singled to left, Oberkfell scoring with Cerone stopping at second. McCullers replaced Hawkins. Washington walked, loading the bases. Ramirez hit into a double play. One run (unearned), two hits, three left.

SEVENTH INNING Padres--With one out, Gwynn singled to right. Garvey singled to right, Gwynn stopping at second. Kennedy grounded to first, Gwynn taking third with Garvey taking second. Nettles was walked intentionally to load the bases. Martinez walked, Gwynn scoring. Garvey scored on Camp’s wild pitch. Dilone grounded to third. Two runs, two hits, two left.