Wynne’s Homer Gives Padres an 8-5 Victory, Their Sixth in a Row

When Larry Bowa was managing the Padres, he was always saying that the team lacked a leadoff hitter and a power hitter.

Jack McKeon, whose job as vice president of baseball operations was to help find the players to fill those perceived needs, said he never bought Bowa’s theories.

Now that he has taken Bowa’s place in the dugout, McKeon has discovered that Marvell Wynne might be able to fill both voids.

Wynne hit a two-out, three-run homer in the sixth inning Tuesday night as the Padres ralled from five runs behind to defeat the San Francisco Giants, 8-5, in front of 16,260 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

The victory extended the Padres’ winning streak to a season-high six games and raised their record to 11-6 under McKeon.

“For two months, all I heard was we needed a leadoff hitter and a power hitter,” McKeon said. “Well, we’re not going to get a power hitter. As for a leadoff hitter, you have to make the best of what you have.”

The way Wynne has been playing, that hasn’t been difficult.

Wynne, who was used as little more than a pinch-hitter and defensive replacement under Bowa, not only has emerged as the leadoff hitter the Padres desire, he has become a slugger as well.

“The home runs surprise me because I don’t have power,” Wynne said. “It’s just bat speed.”

The home run was Wynne’s eighth, surpassing his career high. He had hit seven homers in a season twice, first as a rookie with Pittsburgh in 1983 and again in his first season with the Padres in 1986.

He hit this one on the first pitch from reliever Craig Lefferts, who said he hung an inside slider.

“He laid it over the plate,” Wynne said, “and I got a hold of it. It was a thrill for myself and the ballclub. We were down and came back.”

The home run keyed a seven-run inning for the Padres, their biggest of the season.

“We never gave up,” McKeon said. “When Marvell hit that homer, I knew we were going to win.’

The play of Wynne has been one of the biggest changes under McKeon and confirms McKeon’s faith in the trade he made just before the start of the 1986 season that brought Wynne from the Pirates in exchange for Bob Patterson.

Wynne leads the team in home runs and is tied for the lead in RBIs (25) in only 117 at-bats.

He is batting .308, and his home run and a third-inning bunt single extended his hitting streak to seven games. In his past 14 games, Wynne is 18 for 48 (.375) with 10 runs scored and 8 RBIs.

Wynne’s homer closed the scoring in the seven-run sixth inning, in which only one of the runs was earned. But just because all but one of the Padres’ runs in the game was unearned doesn’t mean the victory came easily. The Padres rallied from a 5-0 deficit that also was a bit of their own doing.

The Padres might not have been in such difficulty had left fielder Keith Moreland been able to catch Will Clark’s deep fly ball in the third inning. But the ball dropped for an RBI double and helped key a four-run inning against starter Jimmy Jones.

Jones’ problems began when leadoff hitter Brett Butler dribbled a single up the middle with one out in the third. Robby Thompson then blooped a single into shallow left that a hard-charging Moreland could not catch.

Clark, who is tied for the major-league lead in home runs with 16, then sent Moreland lumbering the other way, ripping a deep fly ball to left-center.

Moreland retreated clumsily for the ball before losing it in the lights. He stopped short and the ball carried beyond Moreland’s grasp, bouncing off the base of the fence near the 370-foot mark for a double.

Butler scored, but Thompson, who had held up in case the ball was caught, stopped at third. His hesitation hardly mattered, however, as the next batter, Candy Maldonado, laced a line double even deeper to left-center, scoring Thompson and Clark.

Mitchell singled to center, scoring Maldonado with the fourth and final run of the inning, but Mitchell was out at second when first baseman Carmelo Martinez cut off Wynne’s throw from center and threw to second to catch Mitchell trying for the extra base.

Chris Speier flied out to deep center to end the inning.

Jones lasted two more innings before he was replaced by pinch-hitter Tim Flannery in the fifth, allowing the fifth run of the game on an RBI single by Maldonado with two out.

Greg Booker, Dave Leiper and Lance McCullers then combined to pitch four innings of shutout relief. Booker earned the victory, his first in three decisions. McCullers got the save, his first since June 4 against Atlanta and his fifth of the season.

Giant starter Mike LaCoss started as if the Padres might be able to give him some trouble early. The Padres got their leadoff hitter to reach base in each of the first four innings but could not score. In the first three innings, the runner was wiped out by a double play. Roberto Alomar, the No. 2 hitter, grounded into two of those after Wynne, the leadoff hitter, had reached base in the first on a walk and in the third on a bunt single.

The Padres had their best chance to score in the early innings when they loaded the bases after Martinez grounded into a double play in the second.

Benito Santiago extended his hitting streak to five games with an infield single before Chris Brown and Dickie Thon walked. But after he threw high and wide to Jones (1 for 24) on the first pitch and got a visit to the mound from pitching coach Norm Sherry, LaCoss got Jones on a broken-bat groundout to shortstop to end the inning.

LaCoss retired six batters in a row after allowing a leadoff single to Moreland in the fourth but he was knocked out of the game in the sixth with the help of some poor play in the field.

After Alomar’s double and Tony Gwynn’s RBI single, Thompson mishandled what could have been a double-play ground ball at second and Speier misplayed a ground ball to short, allowing Moreland and Martinez to reach base and a run to score. After Santiago singled home Moreland, LaCoss was replaced by right-hander Randy Bockus.

Brown sacrificed the runners to second and third before Randy Ready, pinch-hitting for Thon, grounded out to short, allowing Martinez to score. Bockus was replaced by left-hander Lefferts. John Kruk, who had not played since he injured his right thumb Saturday against the Dodgers, walked while pinch-hitting for Booker.

Wynne then hit Lefferts’ first pitch eight rows up into the stands for a three-run homer and a 7-5 Padre lead.

The Padres added another unearned run in the seventh. Gwynn singled to lead off. Moreland hit a line drive right at Mitchell in left, but he dropped the ball for an error. Gwynn stole third and then scored on a wild pitch by Scott Garrelts, who had replaced Lefferts after Mitchell’s error.

Padre Notes

The Padres will complete their 13-game home stand, the longest of the season, today against the Giants at 1:05 p.m. They then will begin a trip that will keep them on the road for the rest of the month, starting Friday with five games in three days against the Dodgers. The Padres, who have the worst road record in the National League at 5-18, will not return to San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium until July 1 against St. Louis. Only the Baltimore Orioles (6-27) have a worse road record in the majors. . . . Former Padre Kevin Mitchell was a late substitute for Mike Aldrete in left field for the Giants. Aldrete has been bothered by a twisted back since a play at home plate Friday against Cincinnati. . . . Giant shortstop Jose Uribe, who has been on the disabled list since the death of his wife, Sara, from a heart attack June 1 after the birth of the couple’s third child, is expected to arrive by game time but will not play, according to a Giant spokesman. Uribe had been scheduled to arrive Tuesday but decided to take a later flight from his home in the Dominican Republic. Uribe may play Thursday in an exhibition game against the Giants’ triple-A team in Phoenix. The spokesman said that a decision would be made then on when to activate Uribe and that utility infielder Matt Williams probably will return to the Phoenix farm club. . . . Carmelo Martinez started his third game in place of John Kruk (right thumb) at first base. Kruk is tied for the team lead in RBIs (25) and is second in home runs (6) and tied for second in batting (.273).

PADRES AT A GLANCE

THIRD INNING

Giants--With one out, Butler singled to center. Thompson singled to left, Butler stopping at second. Clark doubled to left, Butler scoring and Thompson stopping at third. Maldonado doubled to left-center, Thompson and Clark scoring. Mitchell singled to center, Maldonado scoring, with Mitchell thrown out trying for second. Speier flied to center. Four runs, five hits.

FIFTH INNING

Giants--Butler singled to center. Thompson grounded to third, Butler taking second. Clark struck out. Maldonado singled to left, Butler scoring. Mitchell grounded to third. One run, two hits, one left.

SIXTH INNING

Padres--Alomar doubled to left-center. Gwynn singled to center, Alomar scoring. Moreland reached first on second baseman Thompson’s fielding error, Gwynn stopping at second. Martinez reached first on shortstop Speier’s fielding error, Gwynn scoring and Moreland taking third. Santiago singled to right, Moreland scoring and Martinez stopping at second. Bockus replaced LaCoss. Brown sacrificed. Ready, batting for Thon, grounded to short, Martinez scoring. Lefferts replaced Bockus. Kurk, batting for Booker, walked. Wynne homered to right, his eighth. Alomar struck out. Seven runs (five unearned), four hits, two errors.

SEVENTH INNING

Padres--Gwynn singled to left. Moreland reached first on left fielder Mitchell’s fielding error, Gwynn stopping at second. Mack ran for Moreland. Garrelts replaced Lefferts. Gwynn stole third and Mack stole second. Gwynn scored on a wild pitch, Mack taking third. Martinez grounded to short. Santiago struck out. Brown grounded to short. One run (unearned), one hit, one error, one left.