Padres Shoulder 3-1 Loss : Two Bases-Loaded Opportunities Fail Against Phillies

The way Manager Larry Bowa sees it, the Padres should win a game or two by accident. But accidents don’t happen around here, where the Padres are careful enough to lose the same way nearly every night.

Still, Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies was tough to take, because the Padres had a chance to take it to Phillie pitcher Shane Rawley. Once in the fifth inning and once in the seventh the bases were loaded with two outs for first baseman Carmelo Martinez, and each time he made the third out. The seventh-inning failure was especially traumatic because he struck out looking at a 3-and-2 inside slider from Rawley.

The funny thing is Martinez said he was thinking Rawley would throw a slider inside. The bat--he would use five different bats in the game--just didn’t leave his shoulder.

“I knew he was coming inside,” Martinez said. “And I took it. I don’t know why. It was a good pitch to hit.”

Martinez--who swung at the first pitch and grounded out to third when the bases were loaded in the fifth--was booed viciously all night long. Now that first baseman Steve Garvey needs shoulder surgery, it would seem that Martinez--Garvey’s full-time replacement--would stop looking over his shoulder and relax.

But he used five different bats.

“I was looking for good luck,” he said. “One of those nights.”

It wasn’t just Martinez who bombed out. Outfielders Marvell Wynne and Stan Jefferson both struck out with the bases loaded against reliever Steve Bedrosian in the eighth.

As for the Phillies, right fielder Glenn Wilson won the game for them on his two-run home run in the sixth that broke a 1-1 tie. Wilson was borrowing third baseman Mike Schmidt’s bat when he hit it. Schmidt was placed on the disabled list Tuesday because of a pulled muscle in his left rib cage.

“I used his bats and I broke two of them,” Wilson said. “Good thing it’s a long trip.”

Schmidt’s bat is heavier.

“The ball wouldn’t have been out with my normal bat,” he said.

Wilson hit his blast off starter and loser Jimmy Jones (0-2), but Jones--who came in with an 11.70 ERA--pitched well.

“I think he (Jones) pitched a good game,” Bowa said. “He made one mistake. It’s a shame a rookie has to go out and throw perfect to win. That’s the sad part of it.”

But Bowa said he saw a lot of sad things Tuesday night.

“They just don’t believe in themselves,” Bowa said of the Padres. “I believe more in them than they do in themselves. That’s what’s sad.”

How can he tell they don’t believe?

“Just watch ‘em,” he said. “At 3 and 2, what’re you looking for? A walk?”

He was referring to Martinez.

“Of course I believe in myself,” Martinez responded. “Hell, why not? I don’t think that (Bowa’s comment) is a good comment at all. If you don’t believe in yourself, you won’t be in the big leagues.”

But Bowa--who saw his Padres strand 14 runners--went on to explain his frustration.

“I’m doing anything I can to get runs,” he said. “I’m trying to steal runs. I’ve got them (baserunners) moving all the time. If I just let them play, we’d never score.

“Do we even have a guy who has driven in 20 runs? No. (Martinez has 19.) That’s unbelievable. We’ve played almost 50 games. That’s sad. That’s a sad statistic. I see three teams with guys with 30 and 40 (RBIs). We don’t have one with 20.”

He thinks the players need to try harder.

“You can have all the ability in the world, and it don’t mean (anything),” he said. “If you don’t have it inside, you’re in trouble--not only in baseball, but in all facets of life. It’s easy to play dead now, and some guys are playing dead. It’s easy to throw in the towel.”

Padre Notes Joey Cora was still in town Tuesday, even though Manager Larry Bowa said Monday he would think about sending Cora to Triple-A. “I’m not down on him,” Bowa explained Tuesday. “I’m just tired of losing.” Nonetheless, Bowa gave Cora the day off. “Just one day off to rest,” Bowa said. “But other than that, he’s the second baseman. I just think he (Cora) needs a blow. He hasn’t had a blow in three weeks. He’s had more at-bats than anyone else but Tony Gwynn. I just think he’s trying too hard.” Cora and Bowa had a chat before Tuesday’s game. “Maybe this (day off) will help,” Cora said. “Taking it easy will help, I hope.” . . . Third baseman Kevin Mitchell (broken little left toe) sat out Tuesday’s game and right fielder Gwynn (thumb) did not start but pinch-hit in the eighth inning and walked on four pitches. Both players’ status is day-to-day. . . . Gwynn, by the way, has been told by Jack McKeon, the Padre general manager, that he might play some first base this year. . . . Bowa said infielder Tim Flannery (torn ligaments in his right ankle) should be ready to come off the disabled list next week on the Padre trip back East. . . . Infielder Greg Legg will take Mike Schmidt’s place on the roster. . . . Catcher Bruce Bochy’s contact lenses have been bothering his eyes recently, so he now is wearing glasses during games. “I’ll try them for a while,” Bochy said. “I’ve had a little eye irritation, but it’s nothing big. I broke in (to the big leagues) with glasses, so I’ll just try it out. I’m just giving my eyes a break.” . . . McKeon said he had trade talks Tuesday with San Francisco and Cincinnati. He wouldn’t name names but said he’s interested in Cincinnati infielder Nick Esasky, a power hitter.