Padres Win at Atlanta, Avert Sweep : McKeon Talks, Players Listen, Braves Lose, 2-1

When the weary and worried Padres crawled into their uniforms Sunday, they were knocked over with something as rare lately as a breeze.

Manager Jack McKeon was having a team meeting.

After 28 games, his first team meeting. A big, take-out-your-soul-and-study-it meeting.

“You know how I hate meetings,” McKeon said later.

The players said he made many points, but they mostly heard one point.

“He told us, ‘Five or six of you are not working,’ ” recounted one veteran. “He said, ‘Five or six of you are selfish. Five or six of you are not thinking of the team, you are only thinking of yourselves.’ ”

Five or six of you.

McKeon said no names, but he had said enough.

The Padres ran over each other getting out the door and on the field. They spent the next three hours telling themselves, “It’s not me,” as they defeated the Atlanta Braves, 2-1, to avoid a three-game sweep. The Padres now head to Cincinnati with a 5-6 trip record. They’ll have four chances against the Reds and the chance at coming home this weekend in a good mood.

“I think we were more up today than the past few days,” McKeon said, shrugging. “I just told them they have to get their act together.”

Said Tony Gwynn: “This is not just a nice win, it’s an important win. We take three out of four in Cincinnati, we’ll have a good trip.”

In front of 7,301 rain-soaked fans at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (there was a rain delay for the second consecutive game), it was a day of season bests.

--The best seven consecutive pitches: Padre starter Andy Hawkins struck out Ozzie Virgil and pinch-hitter Gary Roenicke with the tying run on third and one out in the seventh inning.

Hawkins allowed 1 run on 5 hits in 7 innings for his second consecutive victory. He now has a 7-6 record with a 3.31 earned-run average.

--The best game-saving dive: Second baseman Roberto Alomar dived deep into the hole behind first base with one out in the ninth to grab a grounder and steal a single from Ken Griffey.

--The best comeback from the biggest embarrassment: Reliever Mark Davis, four days after blowing a three-run lead in the ninth inning at San Francisco, retired all four batters he faced for his 13th save. He replaced Hawkins with the tying run on first and one out in the eighth and induced pinch-hitter Jerry Royster to ground into a double play.

--The best new embarrassment: Mark Davis admitted he was more relaxed because, during the recent San Francisco series, “I had lost my chance for a major league record, so it was no longer on my mind.”

There was a pause.

He was asked, what major league record?

“You know, 13 straight saves in 13 save opportunities,” he said.

Record? That’s no record.

“It’s not?” he said.

No. Not even close.

“I wonder who told me that,” he said.

Misunderstandings aside, everybody worked so hard together in the 95-degree heat and infinite humidity, Hawkins darn near couldn’t stand it.

He was removed from the game just as a sudden rainstorm hit and umpires began clearing the field. While the rest of the Padres ran into the clubhouse, Hawkins stopped on the dugout steps, removed his cap, and stuck his face up into the downpour. For nearly a minute, he stood there, motionless, a uniform taking a shower.

“I was burning up,” Hawkins said. “I was some kind of hot.”

To say the least. Hawkins has seemingly been on a roll since ignoring cries for his release during spring training, when he had a 6.49 ERA.

Hawkins had the worst season of his career in 1987. He missed two months with a shoulder problem and finished with a 3-10 record and a 5.05 ERA.

“I never listen to what anybody says. . . . There was never a doubt in my mind about this,” Hawkins said. “I think I got the last laugh. And that’s all there is to it.”

But since stumbling in his first game this season, giving up 5 runs in 3 innings against the Astros, Hawkins has been a model of brains and consistency. In his last 15 starts, he has finished at least six innings 11 times. Only three times in that span has he allowed more than three runs.

More important than any of that, however, is that his last three victories have all come after discouraging Padre losses. If there is a definition of staff ace , that is it.

“I feel so outstanding. . . . I can’t wait for the rest of the year,” Hawkins said.

Especially if it’s anything like the seventh inning of the game Sunday. He entered the seventh having stopped the Braves without a hit after Ron Gant’s leadoff homer in the third.

The Padres were leading, 2-1, thanks to Carmelo Martinez’s sacrifice fly in the first and Dickie Thon’s RBI single in the second. But up came Ted Simmons and out into the left-field gap went a shot that put Simmons on second base with a leadoff double. Andres Thomas grounded out and Simmons advanced to third base. A fly ball would tie the score.

Out to mound ran catcher Mark Parent. It was a needless trip.

“He told me he had a plan, and gave me that plan, and that was it,” Parent said. “He knew exactly what he wanted to do. I just agreed with him and left.”

Hawkins said: “Worst thing that could happen would be for me to have doubts in my mind.”

The plan was to fool the next hitter, Virgil, into hitting a ground ball with an outside slider. Virgil took two straight outside strikes, and then swung at the third for a strikeout. So much for the plan.

Up came Roenicke, batting for starter and loser Zane Smith. Out ran Parent again. He found the same Hawkins and the same plan.

Roenicke took a slider for a strike, watched a low pitch for a ball, took another strike, and then swung for strike three. Oh, well. Plans aren’t everything.

Much to his immediate dismay, Hawkins was lifted in the eighth after allowing a one-out, 1-and-2 single to Ken Oberkfell. Hawkins’ bad feelings didn’t last too long when Royster hit Davis’ second pitch to first baseman Martinez to start the inning-ending double play.

It was left for Alomar to save the game by handling Griffey’s grounder in the ninth.

“I saw the ball go past and I thought, ‘Oh man, that’s a hit,” said Davis. “Then I turned around and said, ‘Hmmm, maybe not.’ ”

In a milder surprise Sunday, laid-back Padre third baseman Chris Brown actually showed some anger, getting ejected from the game in the sixth inning by home plate umpire Tom Hallion for arguing a third strike call. In making his second straight start, he was 0 for 3 after going 3 for 4 Saturday.