Bowa Chooses Show as Starter on Opening Day Against Giants

Pitcher Eric Show, who ended last season on the disabled list with a sore elbow, will start the Padres’ 1987 season opener in San Francisco, Manager Larry Bowa said Sunday.

Bowa also announced the order of his starting rotation: Show, Ed Whitson, Andy Hawkins, Storm Davis and either Ed Wojna or Jimmy Jones. Hawkins will start the Padres’ home opener April 13, also against San Francisco.

On Thursday night, Show struck out nine Milwaukee Brewers in five innings, and that decided it.

“I remember one inning against the Brewers when I struck out the side, and I didn’t feel (pain in) my arm at all,” Show said Sunday. “I said, ‘This is wonderful.’ But it’s going to have to be seven innings for a while. I suppose I could go nine (on opening day), but my sights are on going seven.

“And that’s a positive, not a negative, if you can give your team seven good innings. The next time out, I hope to give seven good innings, and then seven good innings the next time. If I’m still feeling good, we’ll see about going eight or nine.”

Bowa said Show was a question mark early in the spring, but Show is convinced he is throwing harder than ever.

“Mainly what I’m most thankful for is that I’m able to contain this thing,” Show said. “I still have some things I’m learning though. On your workout days, you don’t have much of anything. You just don’t let it scare you. Like, it always feels rough when I warm up. But hopefully, that’ll change.”