After Sutton Leaves, Kruk Lowers the Boom on Dodger Win Streak

After two hours worth of the San Diego Padres’ first home game Tuesday night, the home team had been blooped and booed and, well . . . one of them finally decided, let’s get real.

It was all too real for the Dodgers when John Kruk muscled a 410-foot grand slam in the fifth inning to give the Padres a 5-3 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 54,158 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

It broke the Dodgers’ 5-game winning streak, gave the Padres two straight wins after five straight losses.

The Dodgers had wracked Padre starter Andy Hawkins for 10 weird and unusual hits in 5 innings and could only make him pay with three runs. Their starting pitcher, Don Sutton, repeatedly found his way out of jams for 4 innings and had allowed just one run on seven hits when he left. Ah, but when he left . . .

The fifth inning started typically enough, with a double by Garry Templeton and a bad bunt by pitcher Hawkins, forcing out Hawkins at third and seemingly putting an end to a perfectly good rally. Stanley Jefferson followed with another bunt that was perfectly fielded by a charging Pedro Guerrero, who threw out the quick Jefferson at first, moving Hawkins to second with two out.

But that set up the trouble. With first open, Sutton was reluctant to pitch to Tony Gwynn, and walked him. What Sutton didn’t count on was Randy Ready poking a single into right field. It was enough for the Dodgers to remove Sutton for Brad Havens, making his third appearance of the year. On his shoulders rested a bullpen scoreless streak of 12 innings.

One pitch later, those shoulders collapsed as left-handed hitting Kruk hit a fastball to right-center for his first homer, and, oddly enough, only the second of his 25 career homers that he has pulled right of center field. It was also Kruk’s first career grand slam, and the Padres’ first since Kevin McReynolds hit one on Oct. 4, 1986. Being the first time since 1985 that fans in San Diego had a chance to cheer a grand slam, they stood, and stood, and begged Kruk to appear from the dugout. Kruk, the only Padre to wear his pants so low you cannot see his socks, hesitated but finally was coaxed into acknowledging the crowd.

The last time the Padres won their home opener, April 15, 1985, Carmelo Martinez hit a grand slam.

This is not the way Havens needs to start a season. In games in which Havens pitched last year, the Dodgers were 4-26. With runners in scoring position and two out, opponents hit .429. Already this season, Havens has relieved Sutton with two runners on base (April 7) in Atlanta and allowed a run-scoring, warning-track fly to Ken Oberkfell.

In many ways, the Dodgers only have themselves to blame. In five of the first six innings, they put 12 runners on base and could only come up with three runs. Even John Shelby, Mr. 2-for-21, had three straight hits, but scored just once. Call it a case of bad bunts and weird double plays and execution for which one might be executed.

It went well in the first where the Dodgers, much to their pleasure, needed all of three minutes to soil the Padres’ opener. One out into the game, Alfredo Griffin hit a ball directly over first base bag that didn’t stop until it reached the Dodgers’ bullpen in deep right for a double, Griffin’s third in six games. Kirk Gibson then poked a blooper into right field that, thanks to his speed, was good for another double, also his third.

One out later, Mike Marshall fought off a 1-2 pitch into center field for a single, scoring Gibson.

In the next inning, after John Shelby was walked, he was balked to second and scored on Mike Scioscia’s bloop double down the left-field line. At 7:53 p.m., less than a half hour after the start of the home opener, with confetti still hanging in the air, the stadium and Hawkins ears were ringing with boos.

Begin Dodger frustration. Scioscia was wasted when Sutton’s poor bunt allowed the Padres to throw him out at third. And even thought Sutton moved to second on a Steve Sax bunt, Alfredo Griffin left him there with a ground out.

Hawkins felt a tight collar again in the third, allowing leadoff singles to Gibson and Pedro Guerrero. But Marshall flied out to left, and Mike Davis, obviously still hampered by the sore left ankle, grounded into a rare first baseman-to shortstop-to pitcher double play.

Dodger Notes

In a change of pitching schedules, Dodger fifth starter Tim Belcher will make his first start of the season Saturday at Dodger Stadium against Atlanta. He was scheduled to make his debut April 18 against the Padres, but was pushed forward two days so that Don Sutton, who pitched Tuesday and was originally scheduled for Saturday, would not have to work on three days rest. . . . Pitcher Ken Howell threw his second simulated game since the start of the season Tuesday, throwing 44 pitches in three innings, his most extensive work thus far. Dodger pitching coach Ron Perranoski said it was time to start thinking about a triple-A rehabilitation assignment for Howell, who is still recovering from the surgery he had last winter on his right shoulder. Said Howell: “I used every pitch, and I felt good on almost all of them. Sometimes I get stiffness between innings, that happened today. Until that stops, I’m not there yet. But already there’s been progress.” . . . At least one Gwynn is starting out the year right: Tony’s brother Chris was 2 for 3 with a triple, a run batted in and a run scored Monday for the Dodger’s triple-A Albuquerque team. . . . The Padres will not take disciplinary action against pitcher Ed Whitson, who was arrested Sunday night on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, Padre President Chub Feeney announced after a meeting with Whitson. “(Whitson) has assured us that this is an isolated incident that will not occur again and that he has no other problem,” Feeney said in a release. “While we do not condone what has happened, we accept his explanation.” Whitson, 32, has been free on $1,250 bond since his arrest Sunday night in Solana Beach. A date has not been set for a preliminary hearing in North County Municipal Court in Vista. . . . Chris Brown was benched for the third time in seven games Tuesday, this time to work on a new batting stance. Brown was replaced by Keith Moreland at third, while Carmelo Martinez replaced Moreland in left. Brown was hitting .214 with eight strikeouts.