Show Voices Concern Over Back Trouble : Pitcher Says He’ll Continue to Work, but He Has Limits

Eric Show, three weeks before he will surely be the Padres’ opening-day starting pitcher, has begun complaining about lower back pains caused by what was diagnosed in January as a bulging disc.

Although Show has proven he can pitch well in his condition--he was outstanding Monday in pitching a three-hit shutout over six innings against the Milwaukee Brewers--he says he is in pain at other times and will wonder about the back until it is tested over a full-game situation. He threw about 60 pitches Monday. He would normally throw around 110.

“It’s fine now, but the minute it affects my motion or my delivery or any of that, I’m going to see what needs to be done,” Show said Monday. “I will pitch with pain--I’ve pitched with fractured fingers, broken toes. But I will not pitch where it is hurting the team or myself.”

Although Show said an option would be the same kind of surgery performed on San Francisco quarterback Joe Montana--”I could be back in four to six weeks, good as new,” he said--his doctor said such talk is premature.

“His is not a surgical lesion, that’s not where it’s at right now,” said Dr. Daniel Denenberg, a San Diego orthopedic surgeon who performed a test which revealed Show’s condition.

Denenberg said the bulging disc could have been there for quite some time, perhaps even throughout last summer when Show led the Padres with a 16-11 record and 3.26 earned-run average.

“Our findings are that the disc is irritated, but it’s not something that just occurred,” Denenberg said. “It’s been there for a while, and been compatible with his well-being. He’s obviously performed with it.

“It just started bothering him, so we took a look. The thing now is to wait and see.”

Sometimes the waiting is easy, as in Monday’s game, in which Show put up the best numbers of any Padre starter this year, striking out four and walking two. The Padres wound up losing his 4-0 lead when reliever Greg Booker put up the spring’s worst numbers, allowing eight runs (seven earned) in two innings in an eventual 8-4 loss.

“If Show’s back is hurt and he throws like that, maybe his back should stay hurt,” Manager Jack McKeon said. “Seriously, Show looks fine to us, and we are not worried.”

Other times, though, the waiting is hard.

“I felt great today,” Show said. “But tomorrow, I’ll be hurting. I’ll be walking around like . . . “

He stuck out his hand as if holding an imaginary cane and began hobbling around his locker.

“On certain movements, it just hurts,” Show said. “Like bending over.”

Show first complained of the soreness in January, and underwent tests that revealed the problem, but caused little worry. Show noted, “About 80% of the people in this country have bulging discs, and it’s no problem for most of them.”

Both he and his agent, Steve Greenberg, were asked about the back during the first week of camp, and both denied any serious problems.

“I thought the soreness would go away,” Show said, “but it hasn’t.”

Yet teammates recently noticed Show complaining of the pain during everyday situations, such as riding the team bus. Show said his problem now is believing that pain won’t occur on the field.

“I’ve got to get rid of it as far as the psychological aspects are concerned,” Show said. “I’ve got to go six or seven innings and see if it’s fine.”

And if it’s not fine? “I’ll do my best to ignore it,” Show said, “but only to a point where I can’t ignore it.”

Pat Dobson, Padre pitching coach, said that as far as Show’s position in the rotation was concerned, Dobson also would ignore the back pains.

“I check with him about it all the time, but it doesn’t seem to bother him once he gets loose, so I won’t do anything until he comes to me,” Dobson said. “I think maybe it’s tough on him the day after he pitches, and I bet that if he gets involved in any long innings in the cold, it could be a problem. But we’ll just get a hot pack on him while he’s on the bench and that should take care of it.”

Dobson and the other coaches met with McKeon over dinner Monday night to discuss roster moves and, among other things, the opening day starter April 3 in San Diego against San Francisco. By virtue of his career-best performance last season, Show was a lock for the job the minute he stepped into camp, and still is a lock. He has looked decent in all three spring outings, going 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA.

“Do I want to be the opening day starter? Sure,” Show said. “Somebody has to start the season so, sure, why not?”

If Show’s season in interrupted because of back problems, minor league star Greg Harris, who was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in three appearances with the Padres last fall, appears ready for a shot at a rotation he now cannot crack.

Padre Notes

Although Eric Show’s back condition could change things, pitching coach Pat Dobson revealed Monday that the club might go with only nine pitchers instead of the standard 10. “Why not? If we have our starters going so many innings like last year, what do we need the extra bullpen man for?” Dobson asked. Such a switch would allow the Padres to keep an extra utility man--maybe backup shortstop candidates Mike Brumley and Gary Green could both make the team. Green was given an inning at third base Monday. The losing pitcher could be rookie Greg Harris, who is scheduled to make the team in the bullpen even though he is a starter, just for the big-league exposure and in case a starter were injured. . . . Monday’s loss dropped the Padres’ spring record to 6-4-1 while shooting Greg Booker’s spring ERA to 20.25--nine earned runs in four innings. Carmelo Martinez hit his third homer of the spring, a two-run shot in the fifth. . . . The Padres play two more games in the Phoenix area before returning to Yuma for their remaining nine home games begining Friday at 7:05 against San Francisco. McKeon has scheduled a “B” game with the Giants beginning at 3 p.m. Friday at Desert Sun Stadium.