Astros Top Padres, Tie for 3rd

Just because the Padres can’t hit, it’s not from a lack of effort or ingenuity. Trailing by a run Saturday night, Carmelo Martinez came up with runners on second and third in the eighth inning, popped one up in foul territory, but got a reprieve when catcher Mark Bailey and third baseman Bert Pena let the ball drop.

Pena thought Bailey had it.

Bailey thought Pena had it.

And the 9,885 fans here, having little sense of humor, booed, for they never knew that Padre third base coach had screamed “I got it” just as Bailey and Pena were circling under it. It was a great play.

“Ozzie threw his voice,” Manager Dick Williams said later. “We heard him in the dugout plain as day.”

Promptly, however, Martinez grounded out. The Padres lost, 4-3, and were caught for a third-place tie by the Astros, who are saving Manager Bob Lillis’ job.

“Next, we get in front of these guys and try to catch Cincinnati,” said Lillis, when asked of his plans.

Meanwhile, the Padre future has to get better. In their last six road games, they’ve scored 10 runs. Batting coach Deacon Jones isn’t letting it get to him, but he has no explanation for the slump that has the team down in the dumps, not to mention the standings.

“I wish I could tell you (what’s wrong),” Williams said. “Deacon wishes.”

Jerry Royster, who hit a solo home run Saturday, said, “We’ve had so many opportunities but no clutch hitting. Just one today, and maybe we win. All year long, it’s been the same. Guys are scratching their heads. You’ve got to be betting $1 million on Terry Kennedy there (in the ninth when he came up with Kevin McReynolds on third). But he grounded out. It’s not in the cards.

“From the first game this year, we haven’t been getting the sacrifice fly or single when a guy’s on third. Al (Bumbry) and I were talking about that. It’s happened about 20 times this year. We can’t get a guy in from third. I’ll tell you, it’s getting spooky.”

Indeed. The Padres led, 1-0, in the first when Garry Templeton reached base on pitcher Bob Knepper’s fielding error, stole second and scored on Steve Garvey’s single to left. In the third, runners were on first and third when Garvey smashed a ball hard up the middle. Quicker than you can say “Look out,” though, Knepper reached up and snagged it to end the inning.

“It caught him,” Williams said. “He didn’t catch it.”

Later, Padre starter and loser Dave Dravecky couldn’t catch himself from throwing a home run ball to Dickie Thon, who hammered it deep to left. Thon is playing this season after recovering from a serious head injury suffered when he was hit by a pitch last year.

“He’s made steady progress,” Lillis said of Thon. “He’s played super defense all year. Offense? He’s hanging in there real well. He’s taking good rips.”

On the subject of hitting, how about the Astro pitchers? Friday, starter Mike Scott had two RBIs, and Saturday, Knepper singled and walked. His single came on a 3-2 fastball, just before Thon’s home run. Lillis gave credit to hitting coach Dennis Menke, who says he spends six or seven days a week working with the pitchers.

“My, it works, too,” Menke said. “They’re probably 30 to 40 points higher this year.”

And 30 to 40 more percentage points would help Lillis’ job security. Now that General Manager Al Rosen is gone, the tendency here is to think that Lillis may follow. But what if the Astros wind up in second place?

Lillis went to Pasadena High with Williams a few years back.

“Dick was a fierce competitor and an all-around athlete,” Lillis recalled. “In football, he had all the moves to be a pro, a halfback. Also, he wanted everybody to be bearing down, and when somebody let up, he was all over them. He was a leader even then.”

This year, though, the Padres might be bearing down, but all they do is make outs. In the ninth, McReynolds had that lead-off bloop double, but reliever Dave Smith (23 saves) retired Bruce Bochy, Kennedy and Templeton to end it.

San Diego has lost four straight, 9 of its last 11, 11 of 14 and 13 of 18.

“I’d assume the guys feel badly,” Williams said.

Padre Notes

Sources say Roger Craig, former Padre manager (1978 and 1979) has been offered the San Francisco Giant manager’s job when he visited Houston earlier this week. He has not responded as yet. A year ago, Craig was Detroit’s pitching coach, and he currently lives in San Diego. . . . Tony Gwynn played Saturday’s game with a slight migraine headache, but still went 2 for 4 and scored a run. . . . Steve Garvey left Saturday’s game for a pinch-runner in the eighth inning, so Carmelo Martinez played first base in the bottom of the inning. First base, according to Martinez, is his best position. Manager Dick Williams, asked to assess Martinez as a first baseman, said: “I haven’t seen him play that much there to have an opinion. I’m looking for batsmen.” . . . Williams said he and his coaches will meet with General Manager Jack McKeon, probably this next week, to discuss the team’s talent.

PADRES AT A GLANCE

Scorecard FIRST INNING Padres--Templeton reached on Knepper’s fielding error. Royster was out when his grounder hit him outside of the batter’s box. Gwynn flied to center. Templeton stole second. Garvey singled to left-center, Templeton scoring. Bevacqua flied to right. One run (unearned), one hit, one left.

THIRD INNING Astros--With one out, Knepper singled to right. Thon homered to left, his fifth. Pankovits grounded to short. Bass popped to second. Two runs, two hits, none left.

FIFTH INNING Astros--With one out, Pena singled to center. Knepper walked. Thon forced Knepper, Pena taking third. Pankovits singled to center, Pena scoring with Thon stopping at second. Bass singled to left, Thon scoring with Pankovits out at third. Two runs, three hits.

SIXTH INNING Padres--Royster homered to left, his fourth. Gwynn grounded to second. Garvey flied to right. Bevacqua grounded to short. One run, one hit, none left.

EIGHTH INNING Padres--Dawley took the mound. With one out, Gwynn singled to center. Garvey singled to right, Gwynn taking third. Dilone ran for Garvey. Dilone stole second. Bevacqua grounded to short, Gwynn scoring with Dilone taking third. Martinez grounded to second. One run, two hits, one left.