Padres Rally Behind Gwynn’s Homer, 4-2

Tony Gwynn, who supposedly is in a slump every time he has a hitless game, ended an 0-for-12 streak with a game-winning three-run homer Tuesday night that gave the Padres a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Afterward, Padre Manager Steve Boros peered at his scorecard, threw down his glasses, sighed and said:

“Tony really busted out of his slump in style.”

Gwynn, who was hitting .338 before the game, said later: “Well, once you win a batting title and prove you can hit, people try to make it news if you go 0 for 10, 0 for 12, whatever. Guys go through 0-for streaks constantly. I’m no different than anybody else.”

Then again, maybe he is.

This was his third game-winning RBI of the season.

All three have been home runs.

All three have come against left-handers--Bob Knepper, Jesse Orosco and now Larry McWilliams.

Tony Gwynn, a left-handed hitter, is batting .370 against left-handers. And only .318 against right-handers.

“Can’t explain it,” he said.

Anyway, LaMarr Hoyt (4-4), who gave up eight measly hits in eight innings, ran up to Gwynn afterward and said: “Thanks, big guy.”

The Padres had trailed, 2-0, after 7 1/2 innings.

Bip Roberts would have led off the bottom of the eighth, but Boros lifted him for pinch-hitter Tim Flannery.

“I just had a feeling he’d get on base,” Boros said of Flannery. “I just had a feeling they’d throw Bip high fastballs and let him hit fly balls to left field like he did his first two times up. And I just had a feeling Timmy would be more of a challenge--if not getting a hit, he’d stick his butt out and get hit by a fastball or take a walk.”

He took a walk.

“Dumb fool luck,” Boros said. “Just a hunch.”

Next, John Kruk batted for Hoyt and hammered a double off the wall in left-center.

“I don’t know of anyone who gets comfortable pinch-hitting,” said Kruk. “I just go up and swing.”

His double moved Flannery to third. Marvell Wynne was next. He dribbled a ball down the right side of the infield that eluded pitcher Rick Reuschel. Sid Bream, covering first base, didn’t charge the ball. Second baseman Johnny Ray let it roll to him instead, and by the time he flipped it, underhanded, to Bream, Wynne was safe.

Flannery scored, and McWilliams replaced Reuschel.

“Marvell set up the whole inning,” Gwynn said. “If he doesn’t beat it out, I probably don’t hit in that situation.”

He hit. A homer to deep right.

“As the game was going on, I was beginning to wonder if we were gonna beat these guys,” Gwynn said.

The Pirates had won all four games here this season.

The San Diego Pops orchestra put on a pregame concert in front of 16,051 but--for seven innings--the pop stopped there.

The Padres, who had scored just eight runs in their previous four games, managed only three hits until the eighth. Reuschel retired 16 straight batters during one stretch.

Hoyt was strong, too. Other than a few wayward ground balls that trickled through the infield, Hoyt really made one mistake--a pitch that Pirate catcher Tony Pena hit for a solo home run to left in fourth inning. That made it 2-0. In the first inning, R.J. Reynolds had chopped a slow grounder through the middle of the infield to score Ray from second base.

Then Gwynn.

“I really wanted to smile,” Gwynn said of his home-run trot. “But I told myself, ‘What do you have to smile about? It’s your only hit of the night!’ ”

And Gwynn had been so pessimistic before the game. Because of the Pops concert, there was no batting practice.

“I hate playing games with no batting practice,” he had said with no clue of what lay three hours ahead.

Padre Notes

Eric Show’s right elbow was packed in ice Tuesday when Manager Steve Boros grabbed him. “Eric, come into my office and talk to us,” Boros said. Boros--joined by Padre General Manager Jack McKeon--told Show he’d be going on the 15-day disabled list. Show nodded, figuring this was best. He had pitched 4 scoreless innings Monday night, but had little left on his fastball in his final inning. “Slowest I’ve ever seen him throw,” Boros said. McKeon, meanwhile, chatted with Dr. Cliff Colwell Monday night, and they agreed that the disabled list made sense. Show won’t pick up a ball for 1 1/2-2 weeks and won’t start again until July 25 in St. Louis or July 29 in San Diego, depending how he feels. Show has never been on the disabled list before, and he’s a little disappointed. “I’ve had fractured fingers, broken toes, all sorts of things, but I just can’t beat this one,” said Show, who developed the sore elbow against the Dodgers June 14. “But going out there at half your capacity every time? It doesn’t make sense. Why not see if you can eliminate it right now? And now’s the perfect time with the off days and the All-Star break. It’s too bad, though. I thought this year I had a chance to maybe make the All-Star team before the soreness developed. Well, maybe next year. I always seem to be in the running and never make it for one reason or the other.” . . . No replacement has been named for Show, who was scheduled to pitch Saturday, though Mark Thurmond is a leading candidate. To replace Show on the roster, the Padres brought up right-handed reliever Bob Stoddard, no relation to Tim Stoddard. Bob Stoddard, 29, was 5-2 with a 3.40 ERA in 29 games with Las Vegas. He was acquired from the Oakland A’s this spring in a trade for Rusty Tillman, and he has been in the big leagues before with Seattle (part of 1981 and 1982, all of 1983 and part of 1984) and Detroit (part of 1985). He throws a pretty good palm ball, but batting coach Deacon Jones--who’s a little perplexed at the silent Padre offense (eight runs in the last four games)--wanted to know: “Can he hit?” Stoddard spent most of his Tuesday writing the initial “B” on his clothes, so they won’t get mixed up with Tim’s clothes. “Watch, in a week, all of our stuff will be mixed up,” Bob Stoddard said. But Stoddard probably won’t be here for much more than a week, unless he pitches amazingly well. After the All-Star break, McKeon said the Padres might go with a nine-man rotation or they might have made a trade for another pitcher by then. . . . McKeon talked again Tuesday with Pirate General Manager Syd Thrift, but there’s nothing new on the Rick Rhoden trade front. . . . Young Pirate center fielder Barry Bonds missed Tuesday’s game with an injured left thumb and his status is day-to-day. . . . Padre pitching coach Galen Cisco on Tuesday morning’s earthquake: “That was no earthquake; that was Goose (Gossage) tossing and turning after last night’s game.” Gossage gave up a game-winning home run Monday night to Pittsburgh’s Sid Bream. . . . Minor leaguer Joey Cora, who was stabbed in San Antonio, Tex., on June 21, was released from the hospital, and has returned home to Caguas, Puerto Rico. He was expected to report back to his Double-A team in Beaumont, Tex., on Aug. 8.

PADRES AT A GLANCE

Scorecard FIRST INNING

Pirates--With two out, Ray singled to center. Bream singled to right, Ray stopping at second. Reynolds singled to center, Ray scoring and Bream taking third. Pena forced Reynolds. One run, three hits, two left.

FOURTH INNING

Pirates--With one out, Pena homered to left, his sixth. Morrison flied to right. Brown grounded to third. One run, one hit.

EIGHTH INNING

Padres--Flannery, batting for Roberts, walked. Kruk, batting for Hoyt, doubled to left-center, Flannery taking third. Wynne beat out a grounder to second for a single, Flannery scoring and Kruk taking third. McWilliams replaced Reuschel. Gwynn homered to right, his eighth. McReynolds struck out. Garvey grounded to short. Templeton grounded to third. Four runs, three hits.