McCullers Has Padres Off to Good Start, 2-1

Lance McCullers throws with so much oomph, he gets blisters on his toes, not his hands. But limp or no limp, he still had a blistering fastball in Thursday night’s 2-1 Padre victory over the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium.

McCullers earned his first victory as a starter, giving up only four hits in seven innings. He even stole a base. And Craig Lefferts earned his third save, throwing the best pitches of his life. If you thought he was good in 1984, he says he’s even better now.

Padre batters again took the night off, except for shortstop Garry Templeton, who broke an 0-for-13 streak with three hits, including two doubles, and an RBI. Before the game, Manager Steve Boros closed his clubhouse doors for a meeting, and besides reminding the team that there’s a pennant to be won in the second half of the season, he explained that he would be using the bunt more to manufacture runs.

Sure enough, Steve Garvey bunted for a single. And Terry Kennedy--who apparently hadn’t practiced a bunt in years--made a feeble attempt at sacrificing a runner to second in the eighth. Even though he failed, he tried.

“I don’t like to bunt,” Boros said. “I don’t like to give ‘take’ signs either. But until we get going, I’ll do that. With our good pitching and defense, we’ll just manufacture runs.”

He was right about the pitching and defense. McCullers conquered the heat (in the 90s and humid) and the Pirate hitters. He said it got pretty hot in Tampa, Fla., where he grew up and where the Mets’ Dwight Gooden and Montreal’s Floyd Youmans were raised. Team those two with McCullers, and that’s a lot of heat headed toward the plate.

McCullers throws somewhere around 90 m.p.h., and he said he managed to keep his velocity for all seven innings.

“I don’t think I lost much on my pitches,” he said. “I felt the same in the seventh as I did in the fourth and fifth.”

His big right toe didn’t. Actually, as he was warming up to begin the seventh, he pivoted and threw so hard that he split open the toe of his shoe. He then gave up a leadoff single to R.J. Reynolds. Reynolds went to second on a passed ball (McCullers said it was a wild pitch because catcher Kennedy signaled for a fastball and he threw a slider).

Yet, McCullers retired the next three hitters--Tony Pena, Jim Morrison and U.L. Washington.

Lefferts entered in the eighth and did not let a runner near first base. He has now given up just six hits and one run in his last 22 innings (12 games) for an 0.41 earned-run average.

“Why? Most of all it’s keeping the ball down with all my pitches,” Lefferts said. “That’s got to be it. . . . This is the best I ever have (thrown) in my career. When you look at my last six weeks and 25 appearances? I’m in a groove. The confidence level is very high.”

Center fielder Marvell Wynne reached high to make a great catch in the first inning, and McCullers said it was the turning point in the game. The hitter was rookie Barry Bonds, and he led off the first by smacking one to deep left-center. Wynne ran a long way and caught it reaching high--his back crashing into the wall.

He then fell and grimaced in pain. He’s a former Pirate, and the crowd applauded. One of the local television stations came after the game to do a feature on him.

And pasted to his locker was an old picture of him in a Pirate uniform. Written on the photo was the inscription, “Mr. Wynne? Mr. Wynne? Where are you?”

The author: Pirate all-star pitcher Rick Rhoden, who went six innings and got the loss. He sneaked into the Padre clubhouse and put it there.

Of his catch, Wynne said, “That catch ranked . . . uh . . . uh . . . No. 1 in my career. It’s right ahead of another one I made against Bill Buckner of the Cubs here. That time, I ran a long way to get it, and caught it up high over my right shoulder. I thought it was a spectacular catch at the time. But it seems I always make spectacular catches without leaving my feet. I think my catches are better when I run for it and don’t dive. I make them on my feet.”

Padre Notes Goose Gossage flew to his hometown of Colorado Springs early Thursday morning to be with his favorite uncle, who is dying. Gossage tried to get back in time for Thursday’s game, but he didn’t make it. He is expected to be available tonight. . . . Garry Templeton and Steve Garvey appear to be coming out of slumps. Templeton had three hits. He has a batting cage at his home in Poway, but he said he didn’t practice at all. “I was sick of looking at that baseball,” he said. “I didn’t want to see no baseball.” Garvey bunted for a single and lined a single Thursday and said afterward: “I like to think this is beginning a trend.” He, too, stayed away from baseball over the break. “I was resting and energizing,” he said. . . . Padre General Manager Jack McKeon is with the team and spent the entire game with Pirate General Manager Syd Thrift. Did they talk about a Rick Rhoden deal? “You kidding?” McKeon said. “We spent the whole time talking about agents.”. . . . Dave Dravecky, bothered by tendinitis in his left elbow, threw for five minutes in the bullpen Thursday night and will start Sunday against the Pirates. By then, he will have had eight days between starts. . . . LaMarr Hoyt won’t start until Monday in Chicago. Manager Steve Boros said he made the decision because of Hoyt’s success against the Cubs, who have a lot of right-hand hitters. . . . Eric Show is eligible to come off the disabled list July 23. How has he handled the inactivity? “Life is always great,” he said. “Here on the disabled list, it’s just not as great.”

PADRES AT A GLANCE

Scorecard THIRD INNING

Pirates--With one out, Washington tripled to right-center. Rhoden singled to left, Washington scoring. Bonds struck out. Orsulak grounded to second. One run, two hits, one left.

FOURTH INNING

Padres--With one out, Garvey beat out a bunt to third. Kennedy walked. Templeton doubled to right, Garvey scoring with Kennedy taking third. Flannery flied to right, Kennedy scoring with Templeton taking third. McCullers walked. Wynne forced McCullers. Two runs, two hits, two left.