Only Santiago Has Welch’s Number : Catcher Sets Major League Rookie Record in Padres’ 3-1 Loss

Padre catcher Benito Santiago may only be a rookie, but he had 10-year veteran Bob Welch figured out right from the start.

Santiago singled twice Saturday off the Dodger right-hander, who beat the Padres, 3-1, for his fifth complete game of the season. It was the 28th consecutive game in which Santiago has hit safely, giving him the all-time major league record for rookies.

“When Welch gets ahead, he throws a strike every time he goes 0-2,” Santiago said. “I don’t know what the reason is, but I was ready. I fouled off the fastball, but he came back with another one and I got a base hit.”

Santiago, who added a ninth-inning single, extended the streak in the fifth with a leadoff single to left-center field. The hit extended the National League’s longest batting streak of the season and eclipsed the mark previously held by James Williams of the 1899 Pittsburgh Pirates.

Friday, Santiago, 22, broke the modern record set by Guy Curtright of the 1943 Chicago White Sox.

Milwaukee’s Paul Molitor put together the majors’ longest streak this season, hitting in 39 straight games. If he gets a hit in each of the Padres’ remaining eight games, Santiago would finish the year with a 36-game streak.

“It feels great,” said Santiago, who is hitting .345 during the streak (40 for 116) and has raised his overall average to .298. “That record means a lot to me, and I just want to keep going and get another one tomorrow and make it 29 games.”

The Dodgers got the winning runs on Glenn Hoffman’s tie-breaking two-run single with the bases loaded in the sixth inning.

Welch (14-9) pitched a six-hitter for his third straight victory and his fifth complete game. He struck out eight and walked one.

“When you get down to the latter innings, it gets down to the mental part,” Welch said. “I felt good about staying in there, and I had the good rhythm.”

Padre starter Eric Nolte (2-5) remained winless in his last five starts dating back to Aug. 29. The rookie left-hander nursed a 1-0 lead until the sixth, when the Dodgers tied the game on consecutive singles by Mike Sharperson, Pedro Guerrero and Mike Marshall. Nolte then walked Shelby, and Hoffman singled to left field one out later off reliever Mark Davis for a 3-1 lead.

The Dodgers--who haven’t finished last since 1905 and escaped the NL West Division cellar last season with only two games to play--increased their margin over the last-place Padres to four games with eight remaining.

No matter where the Dodgers finish in the standings, numerous personnel changes figure to be made in the off-season. A proven pitcher such as Welch, who lowered his earned-run average to 3.34, is a valued commodity on the trade market. The Dodgers might be willing to part with him because of their depth in starting pitching.

Welch, who allowed a run in the fifth when Garry Templeton doubled home Santiago, has heard the trade rumors. Although he has been with the Dodgers longer than any of his teammates, with nine full seasons of service, Welch does not seemed fazed by it.

“You think about it, but you can’t dwell on it,” Welch said. “There’s going to be a lot of names mentioned between now and spring training. My job is to just keep in shape and try to win. I have a contract to play baseball here. That’s all I know. The rest is out of my control.”

But the 30-year-old Welch, who has a 114-86 career record, said he would like to finish his career in Los Angeles.

“Sure, I’d like to play baseball here,” he said. “It’s a good organization. I’ve never played anywhere else. But who knows what’ll happen?”

Dodger management may have a clue. Fred Claire, the club’s vice president, has said there are no untouchables. But Manager Tom Lasorda, whose own status in the organization remains nebulous, hedged when asked if the Dodgers are willing to trade Welch.

“That’s like asking me, ‘How high is high,’ or ‘How far is far,’ ” Lasorda said. “If somebody came up to us and said, you can get this and this and this (for Welch), you’ll make the trade to help the ballclub. Now, I’m not saying we’re going to make a trade.

“One thing we’ve got is three outstanding starting pitchers (Welch, Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser). That’s the backbone of our ballclub.”

The Dodgers have won 7 of 9 games, and one motivation might be the fear of finishing last.

“I sure don’t want to finish last,” Welch said. “But last year, we finished a half-game in front (of the cellar), and I didn’t feel much better.”

Added Mike Scioscia: “It’s important that we don’t finish last, but it’ll also be a smoke screen for the kind of year we’ve had. We’ve had a bad year and we can’t forget that. You hate to look back and say, ‘What if?’ But this was an easy year to win our division. But . . . “

Dodger Notes

Dodger shortstop Glenn Hoffman had two hits and two runs batted in Saturday, raising his batting average to .250. Hoffman, who also has fielded competently, is another Dodger with an uncertain future. “They are sort of feeling me out,” Hoffman said. “Hopefully, I can finish strong and come back next year. I’m sure they’ll evaluate everyone at the end of the season, and I hope I get invited back.” . . . Pedro Guerrero’s sixth-inning single extended his hitting streak to 12 games, his season high. . . . The Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela (13-14) opposes Mark Grant (7-8) today at 1 p.m.