Astros Get Three in Ninth to Beat the Padres, 5-3

Another ninth-inning rally, another win.

It is a habit for the first-place Houston Astros, who won their 23rd game in their last at-bat Friday night. And that’s 36 come-from-behind victories for a club that is running away with the National League West.

A paid crowd of 11,319 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium saw the Astros rally for three runs on three hits and three walks to defeat the Padres, 5-3.

“We just don’t give up,” said Astro center fielder Billy Hatcher, who broke the 3-3 tie with a one-out, two run single off reliever Lance McCullers. “Kevin Bass gets that hit and then nobody wants to be the one to make the last out. It’s contagious.”

Bass led off the ninth with a single to center off McCullers, who had entered the game in the eighth.

“After you come back so many times, when you’re down only one run, you know you have to get someone on base and then it can get started,” Astro Manager Hal Lanier said.

After Bass singled, Jose Cruz walked. Alan Ashby, who homered earlier in the game, advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt.

Then came a pair of successful at-bats for Astro pinch-hitters.

Craig Reynolds drew an intentional walk to load the bases. After fouling off a 3-2 pitch, Terry Puhl walked on a pitch that was low and inside. The game was tied.

“Everybody does what they have to do,” Lanier said. “That’s the way it’s been all season.”

Padre Manager Steve Boros had seen enough. He brought in Craig Lefferts for McCullers.

“Lance wasn’t sharp,” Boros said. “He was up high with the fastball and he got the slider up.”

Lefferts got a quick strike on Hatcher, but on the next pitch, Hatcher singled to left for two runs and the game.

“He tried to sneak a fastball in on my hands,” Hatcher said.

As has been their pattern all season, the Astro bullpen held the lead.

Reliever Dave Smith, who lives in Del Mar during the off-season, pitched a scoreless ninth to record his 30th save in 34 save opportunities. The save broke the previous Astro mark of 29, which was set by Fred Gladding in 1969.

The win went to the charismatic reliever Charlie Kerfeld, who was touched for a go-ahead run the eighth. It appeared that the Padres might win their third straight game when Kevin McReynolds hit a sacrifice fly to right to drive in Tony Gwynn and break a 2-2 tie in the eighth.

“I was optimistic going into the ninth with McCullers,” Boros said.

Optimism is one thing, but being a team of destiny is another.

Padre Notes

Nine members of the Las Vegas Stars will join the Padres as soon as they can get to San Diego. The Stars played Vancouver in the fifth and deciding game of the Pacific Coast League championship series Friday night. Among the players called were pitchers Greg Booker (8-9, 5.25 ERA), Ray Hayward (9-11, 4.63), Jimmy Jones (9-10, 4.40) and Ed Vosberg (7-8, 4.72). Booker, the only player with major league experience, will be used in relief, Jones and Hayward as starters and Vosberg as either a starter or reliever. “I don’t put a lot of emphasis on pitching stats in Vegas,” Padre General Manager Jack McKeon said. “They are really not accurate.” The light air and hard infields give the Pacific Coast League its reputation as a hitter’s paradise. Other players called up are first baseman Tim Pyznarski (.326 with 23 home runs and 119 RBIs), third baseman Randy Asadoor (.281 with 13 homers and 52 RBIs), shortstop Gary Green (.249 with 40 RBIs) and catchers Benito Santiago (.287 with 17 homers and 71 RBIs) and Mark Parent (.288 with 5 homers and 40 RBIs). Padre Manager Steve Boros said Santiago will take over the regular catching duties. . . . Ballard Smith, Padre team president, says he’s keeping in contact with Goose Gossage’s agent, Jerry Kapstein. “We’ve had real good conversations,” Smith said. “This (Gossage’s suspension from the team) just hasn’t been solved.” The matter is scheduled to go before an arbitrator in Houston Friday. . . . Ed Whitson has been dropped from the starting rotation and will work out of the bullpen the remainder of the season. Whitson is 1-7 with a 5.87 ERA since being acquired from the Yankees in July. “He pitched well when he first got here, but we didn’t score many runs for him.” Boros said. “Then it started to snowball for him. At some point he might have felt, ‘This just isn’t my year.’ We’re hoping that by pitching him in relief he’ll find himself.” . . . Tim Flannery continues to get razzed about his stress-related headaches and his need to relax. During batting practice Friday, Astro pitcher Dave Smith (a buddy of Flannery’s who lives in Del Mar) and Bill Doran approached Flannery with a trainer’s bag and a stethoscope. . . . Shortstop Garry Templeton, sidelined with a right hamstring pull, said he’s undergoing three-a-day treatments and is improving. Templeton is expected to be out about a week. . . . Andy Hawkins (9-8) will face Houston’s Mike Scott (16-9) in Sunday afternoon’s game.