Rookies Save Another One for Padres, 1-0

Lance McCullers and Gene Walter were the heroes again Tuesday night, striking out Expo after Expo in a 1-0 Padre victory and also striking a blow for the Triple-A pitchers of the world who wonder what’s the big difference between major and minor leagues.

Apparently, not much, considering Walter has two saves and McCullers three in their second week in the big leagues. Padre outfielder Tony Gwynn looked around the clubhouse, noticed some smiles, and said, “Can’t you tell around here? Guys feel good about having a lead and going to the bullpen. This sure is a nice pick-me-up after what happened earlier (this year). These were the kinds of games we lost.”

But they won . . .

--Because Dave Dravecky, eventually the winning pitcher, survived a wicked blow to his right big toe in the second inning. Montreal’s Jim Wohlford had lined a ball right at his foot, too hard for Dravecky to dodge. He fell immediately to the turf, looking seriously wounded. Manager Dick Williams ran out from the dugout in a flash.

“At the initial impact, there was much pain,” Dravecky would say later. “After that, it went away.”

His breaking ball held the struggling Expos (no runs in 18 straight innings) without a rally until Tim Wallach singled in the sixth and took third when Carmelo Martinez misplayed a U.L. Washington line drive in left. Wallach might have scored from first since there were two outs and he had been running at the crack of the bat. But after the ball bounded off Martinez’ glove into the wall, it bounced straight back to him.

“Besides, Wallach’s not the fastest guy in the league,” Expo Manager Buck Rodgers said.

With runners on second and third, Williams, not pitching coach Galen Cisco, came out to speak to Dravecky. He asked him if he’d rather face the eighth hitter, Mike Fitzgerald, or walk Fitzgerald and probably face pinch-hitter Tim Raines.

He chose Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald popped out to first baseman Steve Garvey.

--Because McCullers replaced Dravecky to start the eighth and retired three consecutive Expos on seven pitches, six of which were strikes. One of the Expos who was dispatched was Andre Dawson, who before Tuesday was 10 for 20 this year against San Diego. McCullers got him with a fastball.

“He’s like a little Goose (Gossage),” Gwynn said, after watching him from right field. “He throws hard and has good location. It’s just like watching Goose, and you know he’ll get better because he’s 21, and this is his first crack at it.”

--Because Walter saved the game and also saved Williams from major controversy. After McCullers’ exciting eighth, the Padres put runners on first and second with no outs. Tim Flannery was the batter, and it was Al Bumbry, not McCullers, who walked into the on-deck circle. Why take the kid out?

Williams later explained that he was waiting to see what Flannery did. If Flannery gets an RBI hit, McCullers probably hits. But what also worried Williams was McCullers’ right arm, which hasn’t grown accustomed to the grind of relief pitching. McCullers was a starting pitcher in the minors.

“He was a little arm tired,” Williams said, though he never asked McCullers to find out but instead held up a doctor’s report on McCullers.

Said McCullers: “My arm’s a little tired, although I’m starting to get used to it (relieving). Sure, I had real good stuff, but I’m a team player like everyone else here. As long as we win.”

As it turned out, Flannery flied out, Bumbry pinch-hit and also flied out and Garry Templeton struck out, stranding the two runners. It was up to Walter, the 24-year-old left-hander.

He came in to get the Expos and get Williams off the hook. Herm Winningham grounded out to Walter on his first pitch. And Washington and Fitzgerald struck out.

Every pitch was a slider.

“I figured the heck with it,” Walter said. “One inning. I might as well go with my best pitch.”

McCullers was being compared to Gossage, so Walter had to be compared to someone, too.

“He has your basic Steve Carlton slider,” McCullers said of Walter.

--Because Kevin McReynolds had his first game-winning RBI since July 7, a blooper to right off loser Bill Gullickson in the fifth inning. It scored Terry Kennedy, who had led off the inning with a double and took third on Martinez’s sacrifice.

McReynolds was the subject of many interviews afterward, particularly because he’d blasted Williams recently, because Williams used to manage the Expos and because the writers here were interested in meeting McReynolds in the flesh. Also, they wanted to know about his big RBI, his 3-for-4 night.

“I don’t know if you’ve all noticed, but I’ve sort of been in a six- or seven-week slump,” McReynolds said, telling it like it is.

Padre Notes

Tuesday was Graig Nettles’ 41st birthday. Said Nettles, who has noticed how sportswriters always bring up his age: “My first name changed today. It used to be 40-year-old Graig Nettles. Now, it’s 41-year-old Graig Nettles.” . . . Padre publicist Bill Beck received a strange call recently from the New York Times. A writer there has figured out that Pete Rose will get his record-breaking hit against the Padres, and more specifically, against Andy Hawkins. The writer, preparing for the momentous occasion, asked for Rose’s 1985 stats against Hawkins. “Two for 10,” Beck said. . . . Expo Manager Buck Rodgers on losing, 1-0, for the second straight day. “One-nothing is a killer. I’d rather get beat 10-0 than 1-0.”