Dependable Whitson to Open for Padres : Bowa Selects Him Instead of Show, Jones for Start Against Astros

Confirming his intention to shape this team around soul, not sparkle, Padre Manager Larry Bowa pulled his first surprise of the season Wednesday.

Bypassing bright youth (Jimmy Jones) and honored tradition (Eric Show), he named somebody else as his 1988 opening day pitcher.

Ed Whitson.

That’s 32-year-old Ed Whitson. Fourteen years in the pros, nine years in the big leagues, four years with the Padres.

His first opening day assignment.

Mark this down, because he will: April 5 in the Houston Astrodome at 5:35 p.m. against the Houston Astros and likely Mike Scott.

“He’s had a good spring, he won the most games for us last year (10), and he’s been there when we need him,” Bowa said. “You know with Whit, you’re going to get the best effort he has. He’s not afraid of anybody or anything. All Whitson wants to do is pitch. It doesn’t matter if he’s facing Cy Young.”

Whitson was unavailable for comment Wednesday because, typically, he was gone fishing. The Erwin, Tenn. native, who speaks with a country-fried accent and is one of about six living players who still refer to a baseball as a ‘White Rat,’ left the Padre complex at 1 p.m. He was last seen heading for a bass boat on a nearby lake and wasn’t expected back until late Wednesday night.

Several days ago, he talked about what such an assignment would mean. Typically, it was not much.

“As long as I’m in the rotation, I don’t care,” he said. “Last year I had the best spring of my career, and I wasn’t the opening day starter. I don’t expect it, and it doesn’t much matter, as long as I get the ball.

“My only goal is to take the ball every five days and do what they ask.”

Whitson wasn’t picked for his spring stats (5.12 earned-run average, 18 hits and 9 walks in 19 innings). He wasn’t picked for his career Padre stats (30-35, 4.28 ERA).

He was picked because nobody on the Padres takes the ball more and complains less. No starting pitcher is better at giving the team six good innings needed to keep them in a game, even when he’s feeling lousy and throwing worse.

In his career, Whitson has averaged an amazing 6.7 innings per start. Last season, despite an 4.73 ERA, he average six innings per start--as many as Eric Show, whose ERA was nearly a full point lower (3.84).

“My philosophy is, some of these things are going to be rained out, but you get dressed and ready for all of them,” Whitson said. “I don’t know what I’ll have that day, but I’ll give you all of it, for as long as I can. Just give me the ball.”

Guess who started last year’s final game Oct. 4, with the team 24 games out of first place and playing mostly minor league Dodgers? After being told four days earlier that he was finished for the year? Whitson, who was hit with a 5-3 loss to finalize his record at 10-13, yet never griped.

Nobody on the Padres is better at staying afloat than Whitson, and that’s what Bowa and pitching coach Pat Dobson want for their staff this year--survivors.

“Everybody appreciates a gamer, so everybody appreciates Whitson,” Andy Hawkins said. “He goes out there and gives you his best game, every time. You don’t have to worry about anything bothering Eddie Lee.”

Said Whitson: “I learned something early in my career from Willie Stargell: You’ve got to play with the game in the middle. Never be way up here or way down there. Keep mentally the same.”

So where does all of this leave Show, who has started three of the last four openers? On Wednesday, Bowa also announced that Show, as previously reported, will be the third-day starter in San Francisco April 7, the home opener for the defending National League West champion Giants.

“I feel good about it,” Show said. “I think it’s good to break it up, make a change, do something different.”

If the five-man rotation works out, Show also is the likely starter for the April 12 home opener against the Dodgers.

“That’s fine, too,” Show said. “I’ve started as many home openers as openers. I don’t get nervous at those things anymore.”

Bowa would not fill in the rest of the rotation order. But if you follow the spring rotation, which Dobson said has been set up to flow directly into the regular season, it would work like this: Whitson, Eric Nolte, Show, Jimmy Jones, and Mark Grant or Hawkins.

Based on stats and last year’s performance, it seems the battle for the final spot has come down to Grant and Hawkins, who took a second giant step in the right direction Wednesday. He had his second straight good outing, allowing Oakland just 2 runs on 2 hits through 6 innings before tiring at his first spring attempt at 7 innings.

Padre Notes

In Wednesday’s 10-6 loss to Oakland, reliever Greg Booker threw another 1 scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 0.93. “Now we aren’t afraid to pitch Booker anywhere--early, late, stopper, anywhere,” said Manager Larry Bowa. . . . Reliever Keith Comstock may have bought his ticket to triple A with five allowed runs in one-third of an inning. “I just went over and congratulated Dave Leiper,” said a despondent Comstock of his competition for the final pitching spot. Problem is, lefty Leiper is also struggling, with a 6.00 ERA in 6 innings. The Padres may break camp with neither left-hander. “What’s the use of a left-hander who can’t get left-handed hitters out?” Bowa said. “We’ll go with all righties, we’ll go with the 10 best guys we have.” . . . Tony Gwynn threw from the outfield for the first time Wednesday, and now says he could be ready before his targeted return date Sunday in Palm Springs. “That will be the latest I’ll return, it might be sooner,” said Gwynn, who hopes to get two at-bats in his first game back from finger surgery. “The only question is, will I play in the field or DH. Depends on how I feel.”