Esasky’s Homers Are All Reds Need to Top Padres, 2-0

Ed Whitson might be having a big season if he could find a way to stop giving up home runs.

On Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds, Whitson pitched one of his best games of the season for the Padres, but he wound up a 2-0 loser because he couldn’t make Nick Esasky keep the ball in the park.

Esasky hit home runs in the third and seventh innings, both tremendous shots to left field, to run Whitson’s season home-run total to 29, second in the National League to Bill Gullickson of the Reds, who has given up 32. Meanwhile, Ron Robinson and John Franco held the Padres to three hits, two by Tim Flannery, as the Reds remained tied with the San Francisco Giants for the lead in the National League West.

A crowd of 18,884 saw Whitson and Robinson hook up in an old-fashioned pitching duel at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. Except for Esasky, whose homers were his 15th and 16th of the season, nobody on either side got past second base.

But as well as Whitson pitched--he went eight innings and gave up five hits--Padre Manager Larry Bowa was quick to point out that he once again had fallen victim to the home-run ball.

“Whit had another good game,” Bowa said. “But the guy hit two home runs, and we got beat.”

Esasky’s first homer landed about 12 rows up in the left-field lower deck. His second struck the facade of the second deck near the left-field foul pole. He hit each on the first pitch.

“The first one was a fastball down,” said Whitson (10-8). “It was a good pitch, and he got it. The second was a bad pitch. I hung a curveball and he hit it 500 feet. He’s been known to hit a few exceptionally long balls.

“This loss is frustrating, because I was in full command of every one of my pitches--except the two Esasky hit.”

Both home runs were hit so hard that Esasky stood at the plate until the balls came down.

“I wasn’t trying to show anybody up,” Esasky said. “When you haven’t hit one for a while, you want to enjoy the moment.”

Actually, Esasky had hit a home run as recently as the second game of Friday night’s doubleheader, a drive far over the center-field wall.

“It’s a matter of being in the groove,” Esasky said. “If I’m going good, I don’t care who’s pitching. If I’m not, someone from high school can get me out.”

Two of the hits Whitson yielded were singles by Eric Davis, who also singled off Mark Davis in the ninth.

Robinson, a relief pitcher until recently, has been the Reds’ most effective starter since he made the switch. He is 5-1 with a 3.72 earned-run average in 11 starts, and his overall record is 6-3.

Robinson, 25, a right-hander, has done all this despite a bone chip in his elbow, which caused Manager Pete Rose to take him out after seven innings. He held the Padres to two hits, both si1852271717career high.

“I just went out there and pitched,” Robinson said. “Pretty soon, somebody’s going to catch on to me. They were hitting balls right at people. Seven innings is probably my limit. I don’t think Ron Robinson will pitch a complete game this year--unless it’s on 50 pitches.”

The Padres’ Carmelo Martinez noted that Robinson did not throw as hard as he did when he came out of the bullpen. Martinez grounded to shortstop each of his three times up against Robinson.

“He used to just let it go,” Martinez said. “Now he pitches a smart game. He threw me curveballs, most of them.”

Of the Padres, none had as trying a day as outfielder James Steels. He drew an automatic $100 fine for throwing his helmet in the ninth inning.

Steels was waiting to enter the game as a pinch-runner in case Martinez got on base. When Martinez struck out against Franco, who earned his 23rd save, Steels slammed his helmet to the ground.

Then, after the game, Steels was told that he was being sent down to Las Vegas to make room for pitcher Storm Davis.

Davis had been on the disabled list since June 29 because of torn cartilage in his right rib cage. He will be used in relief for the time being.

Padre Notes

Contrary to rumors, Manager Pete Rose isn’t committed to putting himself on the Red roster when the player limit is raised to 40 Sept. 1. Rose said Sunday: “I’m not thinking along those lines right now. I’m taking batting practice because I’m there, and to fill in when some of the guys take breaks. They can use it this late in the season.” Of the tight race in the National League West, Rose said: “We were the best team in the division last September. If history repeats itself, we’ll be on top. I think we will be anyway.”

The Reds are searching for an established starting pitcher but aren’t optimistic. General Manager Bill Bergesch said: “Everybody wants one of our good players--Kal Daniels, Kurt Stillwell, Tracy Jones--people like that. Some of them want not one of them, but two. Everybody realizes we need pitching, so they can drive a tough bargain, but we’re not going to give up the cornerstone of our ballclub. We’ve made up our minds to battle it out. I see a ray of hope, but nothing’s cooking right now.”

The Padres’ Garry Templeton had a hit temporarily in the third inning, but it was taken away. Templeton reached first when Cincinnati shortstop Barry Larkin’s throw pulled first baseman Nick Esasky off the bag. The official scorer credited Templeton with a single but changed his mind after viewing the television replay. . . . Padre first baseman John Kruk made a dazzling play that kept pitcher Ed Whitson out of trouble in the sixth. He leaped high to spear Stillwell’s bounder behind the bag and nipped the runner with a throw to Whitson. The Reds put two men on base later in the inning but didn’t score. . . . The Padres completed a 19-game stretch against the West with Sunday’s game and will open a six-game Eastern trip in Philadelphia Tuesday night. They are 33-31 against the West, 15-39 against the East.