Opportunities Go By for Padres as Phillies Complete Series Sweep

The battle of the National League cellar dwellers turned out to be no contest. The Padres lost again, this time, 6-4, to the Philadelphia Phillies, giving the last-place team in the National League East a three-game sweep over the last-place team in the NL West.

The same, old problems cost the Padres Wednesday night in front of 8,164 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. Most notably, for the second straight night and for the umpteenth time this season, the Padres couldn’t come up with the big hit with runners in scoring position.

John Kruk and Kevin Mitchell both failed with the bases loaded early in the game and Garry Templeton did not deliver with the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the eighth. The Padres stranded 13 runners after leaving 14 runners on Tuesday night and as a result, lost their fifth game in a row for the fifth time this season.

Manager Larry Bowa, his team now 11-37, was left almost speechless.

What was on his mind after another tough loss?

“Nothing’s on my mind.”

Does this rate as a tougher loss than Tuesday’s?

“I don’t rate them.”

There were other contributing factors Wednesday. The Padre pitchers continued to allow the long ball and one of the rookies made a key defensive mistake.

Andy Hawkins (2-6) gave up a solo home run to Juan Samuel in the first inning and Craig Lefferts allowed a leadoff homer to Luis Aguayo in the seventh.

But that was nothing compared to the two-run home run Lance McCullers allowed to Greg Gross in the ninth. Gross hadn’t hit one out since 1978, a string covering 1,618 at-bats.

“When I hit it, I thought it was right at Tony Gwynn,” Gross said. “When I saw him turn around, I thought it was extra bases. I knew I hit it good, but anytime I hit the ball in the air, I don’t expect it to go out. Everyone was in shock when I got back to the dugout.”

The Padres have allowed 63 homers this season, far and away the most in the league.

The rookie mistake came in the sixth inning when the Phillies scored a run for a 3-1 lead.

Glenn Wilson was on second and Milt Thompson on first with one out when pitcher Don Carman bunted to move the runners along. Hawkins came down off the mound to field the bunt and threw Carman out at first base.

However, catcher Benito Santiago was standing out near Hawkins, leaving home plate unattended. Wilson came around third and beat Joey Cora’s throw to the plate.

Santiago had to scramble back to the plate and catch the ball running backward. Wilson was able to slide around the tag.

Bowa was asked if Santiago made a mistake. The manager, staring at his office table, said, “Yes.”

Santiago refused to say anything.

Meanwhile, the Padres’ hitting in clutch situations continues to be horrendous.

In the second inning, Carman (3-3) walked Carmelo Martinez with the bases loaded, forcing in a run. But the rally ended when Kruk lined out to Wilson in right field.

Kruk at least hit the ball hard, something Mitchell couldn’t do with the bases loaded in the sixth.

Tom Hume, facing his first batter, went 1-2 on Mitchell before he struck him out looking at a slider.

Trailing 4-2, the Padres threatened in the eighth but could not tie the score.

After loading the bases with one out, Stan Jefferson flied to center to score one run but Templeton struck out against Kent Tekulve.

Trailing 6-3 in the ninth, the Padres scored once but there final threat died when Milt Thompson made a diving catch of Santiago’s liner in right-center with one on.

Padre Notes Stan Jefferson was not in the starting lineup Wednesday night. He underwent a bone scan Wednesday afternoon to check his hurting right shoulder. “He’s been playing in pain for quite a while now,” Manager Larry Bowa said. “There’s just no reason to keep putting him out there if he’s hurt.” Jefferson hit a sacrifice fly as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning. . . . Sign of the times: Tim Flannery was joking during batting practice. Kevin Mitchell bunted and Flannery said: “That was only a hit if Raymond Burr was playing third base.” Nobody laughed. “Man, in the old days, that would have been a great line,” he said. “(Craig) Nettles and (Terry) Kennedy would have been rolling. These guys don’t know any of the good old stuff.” . . . Tony Gwynn, who injured his right thumb swinging and missing a pitch from Montreal’s Tim Burke Sunday, was back in the lineup Wednesday. “I didn’t think I’d be out of the lineup when it happened but when I got home (Sunday night) the thumb swelled up like a balloon,” Gwynn said. Gwynn didn’t start Monday or Tuesday, the first time he has missed back-to-back games since 1983. . . . Shane Mack got his first major league hit in the sixth inning, lining a first-pitch fastball from Don Carman up the middle. Mack doubled in the eighth and singled in the ninth. He had been hitless his first seven at-bats since being called up from Las Vegas Monday.