Martinez to Sit; Padres Lose, 4-3

The Padres’ newest goat is first baseman Carmelo Martinez, who is officially benched as of today. Martinez barely went through the motions during batting practice Wednesday and then went 0 for 4 during a 4-3 Padre loss to the Montreal Expos.

Manager Larry Bowa was glad his pitching staff managed to hold somebody to fewer than five runs, but he wasn’t too happy that Martinez and most of the other hitters kept leaving men on base. The Padres left seven runners stranded.

Martinez, who struck out on three pitches with two outs and a runner on first base in the eighth inning, thinks he’s more scapegoat than goat.

“Why me all the time?” asked Martinez, who’s 0 for 8 in this series and 36 for 150 (.240) this season.

“Whenever I go into a slump, they take me out of the lineup. Why not let me bat until I come out? Other guys get to stay in awhile. But not Carmelo.”

Bowa has no sympathy. During batting practice, Martinez walked lazily into the cage, took lazy swings, yawned and walked out.

Bowa had a postgame meeting to ask his coaches what the problem is with Martinez.

The coaches said Martinez didn’t look as if he cared. Then Bowa called Martinez into his office and asked whether his personal life was all right.

Martinez said he was fine.

Bowa then asked him to explain his conduct in batting practice and then what he called “a feeble” performance in the game. Martinez said he just wasn’t comfortable at the plate.

So Bowa has decided to bench him.

“We’ve given him every opportunity, I think,” Bowa said. “He has 150 at-bats. John Kruk will move to first base, and Marvell Wynne and James Steels will split time in left field. I just wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong personally with Carmelo.”

Martinez conceded he loafed during batting practice, and he said he made a mistake.

“Of course I give a hoot about what I do out there,” Martinez said. “He asked me about batting practice, and he said I was swinging like I didn’t care. I admit I was wrong, but if they think I don’t care when I’m at the plate during a game, that’s bull.”

Told by a reporter that he was being benched, Martinez said: “So what? I know that. Nothing surprises me anymore.”

But it surprises Craig Lefferts to give up so many home runs. Lefferts, a reliever, gave up two seventh-inning homers--one to Tim Raines and one to Andres Galarraga--and that raises his season total to eight in 38 innings.

“I’m giving up more home runs than I ever have in my career,” Lefferts said. “No, I’m not happy about it.”

The homers gave the Expos a 4-1 lead, but the Padres should have been a lot closer. Second baseman Joey Cora opened the game with a triple, but did not scored. Instead, the No. 2 hitter, Randy Ready, hit a one-hopper back to pitcher Neal Heaton (7-2), who caught Cora in a rundown.

“You’ve got to read the ball,” Bowa said of Cora. “When you see it get by the pitcher, then you run. There’s no way he should go on contact with no outs.”

In the fourth, the Padres had Ready on second and Tony Gwynn on first with no outs with Kruk at the plate, and Bowa called for a double steal when the count reached 3 and 2. Kruk struck out, and Ready was thrown out at third. End of rally.

“I threw well enough to win,” said losing pitcher Andy Hawkins (2-7). “I could be 7 and 2 with any other team. . . . I’m tired of this stuff. It’s ridiculous. I can’t even explain it anymore.”

Trailing, 4-1, in the eighth, the Padres loaded the bases with no outs. Bruce Bochy flied deep to center and Ready tagged up and scored from third. Then pinch-hitter Marvell Wynne lined a ball to the gap in left-center. Expo center fielder Herm Winningham lunged for it and caught it. Gwynn tagged and scored from third, but if Winningham missed the ball, the game might have been tied at 4-4.

Instead, Martinez--the new goat--struck out to end the rally.