It’s a Fine Finish for Padres, 3-2 : Gwynn Has 5 Hits and a Miss in Win Over Dodgers in 10

The Dodgers and San Diego Padres--the teams that would not (or could not) score--renewed their annual drought Thursday.

A year ago, they played 13 one-run games, and 1987 is off to a similar start.

The Padres won in 10 innings when Carmelo Martinez ripped a high fastball by Matt Young into the left-field corner. Tony Gwynn, on first base with his fifth hit of the afternoon, should have been farther along but scored anyway to give the Padres a 3-2 victory.

Gwynn immediately poked a fist into the air but calmed down quickly when he learned that he owed Manager Larry Bowa $100 for missing a hit-and-run sign.

Martinez originally was trying to bunt against Young, but Bowa saw that Young charged the plate on the first pitch and had third base coach Harry Dunlop flash the hit-and-run sign.

Gwynn didn’t see it.

Young, still expecting a bunt, figured the hardest pitch to bunt would be a hard fastball up in the strike zone. So that’s where he put it.

“I was hoping he’d pop a bunt up,” Young said later. “And he popped it up all right--five feet off the ground.”

The ball was hit straight down the left-field line, and Gwynn barely scored. He would have scored easily had he been running. But nobody got mad.

Gwynn and Bowa held this conversation later:

Gwynn: “I missed the hit-and-run sign, didn’t I?”

Bowa: “Yeah, but we’ll talk about it tomorrow. Maybe we don’t have to . . . “

Gwynn: “No, I’ll give you the check tomorrow.”

Over in the Dodger clubhouse, there was some serious dreaming going on. Tony Gwynn’s younger brother, Chris, happens to be a Dodger--a Triple-A Dodger--and Manager Tom Lasorda said Thursday: “In a few years, I hope they’ll know Tony as Chris Gwynn’s brother. . . . We just hope and pray Tony’s brother can hit like that.”

Tony Gwynn thinks so.

“I saw him on TV (this spring) and he raked a single to center,” Tony said of Chris.

Speaking of dreams, Young wishes his would come true. He’s been a Dodger for a little over a week and his record is 0-3. Since he grew up in the Los Angeles area, this does not sit well with him. Everybody--mainly pitching coach Ron Perranoski--says he’s doing fine, but does Young think the same thing?

“No, but everyone else does,” said Young, who threw just six pitches Thursday. “I feel like I’m throwing well. . . . Good velocity. . . . But I’ve pretty much been at the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m not getting down or anything, but you’re upset when you don’t win.

“Like in Houston, I made some good pitches, and I got stuck with a loss. And today, I threw a couple lousy pitches and got the loss. All is not fair in love and war and baseball. It’s early, though. What is it, nine games? I doubt I’ll go 0 and 30.”

The Padres were 1-8 coming into this game because they weren’t exactly being opportunistic. The most runs they have scored in a game this year is six--and they lost by seven that day.

In the first inning against Dodger Orel Hershiser, they loaded the bases with none out when Joey Cora singled, Gwynn doubled and Hershiser walked Martinez.

“You’re trying to get a feel for the mound, and the bases are loaded right away,” Hershiser said.

Somehow Hershiser got out of trouble, the first of two great escapes. He got John Kruk to pop out to shallow left field, struck out Kevin Mitchell on a breaking ball and got Benito Santiago to ground out to shortstop Mariano Duncan.

Eric Show, the Padre starter, went out and gave up solo homers to Duncan, in the third inning, and Franklin Stubbs, in the fifth. Gwynn hit an RBI double in the second inning, so the score was 2-1 entering the bottom of the fifth.

Hershiser hit Cora with a pitch, and Cora scored the tying run when Dodger right fielder Mike Marshall dived but missed Martinez’s line drive to right field that went for a double.

Hershiser emerged from that inning, after the Padres again loaded the bases, by getting Kevin Mitchell to ground into a double play.

In the Dodger sixth, Steve Sax singled and went to third with none out on catcher Santiago’s throwing error. But Show struck out Mike Ramsey and then Pedro Guerrero, getting Guerrero on a slow curve that made many in the crowd of 28,686 say, “Ohhhhhh.” The threat ended when Marshall lined out to third.

“To me, that was the game,” Show said. “I got out of it.”

Typically, these teams went to extra innings for yet another one-run game.

Tony Gwynn, who had never before had five hits in a game, made it work for the Padres.

“I hope Chris can be as good,” Hershiser said. “He was 2 for 3 this spring when he pinch-hit for me. The first time he made an out, I said, ‘Don’t let it happen again.’ He’s a good kid.”

Dodger Notes Dodger pitcher Rick Honeycutt can stand up straight and take a deep breath, but he’s not sure if he’s ready to pitch. Honeycutt, who has a pulled muscle in his right side, threw Thursday, but was noncommittal when asked if he could pitch his next scheduled start Saturday. “Well, at least I can walk normal and take a full breath,” he said. “But I don’t know (about Saturday). I was fine today throwing fastballs, but, on breaking balls, I can still feel it.” If Honeycutt can’t go Saturday, right-hander Brian Holton will replace him. . . . Third baseman Bill Madlock, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder six days ago, is already dying to take batting practice. Trainer Bill Buhler said Thursday that Madlock should get a chance to take a few swings today. Madlock also is scheduled to swim in the Dodgers’ hotel pool here today, supposedly good therapy for the shoulder. In the meantime, he has been hanging around the batting cage, acting as a part-time hitting instructor. Madlock’s advice for right fielder Mike Marshall: “You’re swinging great. Just slow down, slow down.” Marshall--who was 6 for his last 12 going into Thursday’s game--was all ears. . . . The Dodgers’ real hitting instructor, Manny Mota, was released from Glendale Memorial Hospital Thursday. Mota, 49, had experienced chest pains. Tests showed that he was suffering from a gastric irritation. He is expected to rejoin the Dodgers today. . . . Padre first baseman Steve Garvey, who took a pitch on the chin against the Giants Wednesday night, showed up Thursday sporting a large bandage. He needed eight stitches to close a gash, and Manager Larry Bowa gave him Thursday off, though Garvey said he could have played.