Padres Beat the Astros, Will Finish Above .500

When the 1988 baseball season began, the Padres weren’t seriously thinking about playoff or World Series shares. Their rather modest goal was simple to finish with more victories than defeats.

After a 16-30 start under Larry Bowa, even that seemed out of reach. But the team took a positive detour when Jack McKeon was named manager May 28, and the goal was reached Friday night with a 5-1 victory over the Houston Astros.

The Padres are 81-78 with two games to play, and have gone 65-48 under McKeon. Last year, in a full season under Bowa, the team was 65-97.

Rookie Roberto Alomar and Carmelo Martinez were the catalysts Friday. Alomar got four consecutive hits and scored three runs; Martinez, who since being named a starter Aug. 18 has 11 home runs and 28 RBIs, drove in three runs.

“I feel good at the plate,” Martinez said. “I do my best when I get a chance to play. It’s nice to know when you go 0 for 4 one day, you’ll still be in the lineup the next day.”

Alomar drove in two runs with a third-inning single and singled home another run in the fifth. He also singled in the ninth.

“I felt real good the second half this season, not swinging at bad pitches,” Alomar said. “I’m taking more pitches and seeing the ball better.”

McKeon, who recently was rewarded with a three-year contract for his success, said he wished the team could keep playing after Sunday.

“We’ve got one goal, and that was to finish .500,” he said. “I wish the season wasn’t ending now.”

Padre starter Ed Whitson left the game after the second inning when he twisted his right ankle covering first base on a double play. Greg Harris (2-0) pitched the last seven innings, giving up five hits.

Tony Gwynn, the National League’s leading hitter at .311, did not start the game. Second-place Rafael Palmeiro went 3 for 5 to improve to .306.

The Astros continued to have the weak-hitting attack that has plagued them all season.

“I just have to keep saying the same thing over and over, one run isn’t going to win many games,” Astros Manager Hal Lanier said. “We had some chances to score early, but we didn’t take advantage of them.”

Houston starter Dave Meads (3-1), who normally pitches in relief, was pelted by Alomar and Martinez in the early innings.

“I just guess I didn’t have my best stuff tonight,” Meads said. “I struggled early and then I threw too many pitches and got tired.”

Martinez singled home two runs in the third inning, then singled home another in a two-run fifth. Martinez’s single in the third gave him his 12th game-winning run batted in this season and his 34th RBI in his past 36 games.

Alomar singled, and Dickie Thon walked to open the third off Meads. After Randy Ready grounded out to move the runners to second and third, Martinez drove a single to center field in front of Gerald Young, scoring both runners.

In the fifth, Alomar and Thon each singled and Ready drove in Alomar with a base hit. Martinez then singled off relief pitcher Danny Darwin, scoring Thon.

Alomar got his fourth hit in the seventh inning, took second on pitcher Joaquin Andujar’s throwing error and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ready.

Houston got a run in the second when Glenn Davis led off with a double off Whitson and scored on a single by Alan Ashby.