As Long as He’s There, Martinez Lends a Hand : After Failing to Get the Trade He Wanted, He Has Big Hit in 11th as Padres Beat Braves

Carmelo Martinez was in a rotten mood by the time the 11th inning rolled around Tuesday night. He didn’t feel like talking. He didn’t even feel like watching.

These past two months sitting on the bench while watching his teammates play has been a nightmare. His sole inspiration has been anticipation of the trading deadline on midnight, July 31, the last day teams could trade players without them having to clear waivers.

When the Padres landed in Atlanta Monday evening, Martinez stayed by the telephone waiting for the call to tell him he had been traded. Realizing he was working himself into a nervous wreck, he determined that he had to leave the hotel room, clear his mind.

He decided to walk to the movies. It was of no use. He kept wondering if Padre Manager Jack McKeon was trying to call him and thought briefly of getting up and calling the hotel for messages.

Instead, he stayed until the end, then walked briskly back to the hotel. He took the elevator to his room, put his key into the door, took about four steps and closed his eyes.

He then opened them oh-so-slowly, squinting at the message light on his telephone as if he were back in school opening his report card.

The light was blank.

Martinez was still a Padre.

He shrugged his shoulders, called his wife to tell her to keep the suitcases in the closet and decided that he’d just try to make the best of these final two months of the season.

Perhaps Tuesday night was a start. Finally called upon to pinch-hit in the 11th, Martinez unleased a season’s worth of frustration by lining a three-run triple past center fielder Oddibe McDowell, providing the Padres with a 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

Actually, the hit was closer to a single, but with McDowell diving into the grass trying to catch the sinking ball, it squirted by him to the wall. By the time right fielder Dale Murphy picked it up, all three runs had scored, Martinez was on his way to third, and the Padres were on their way to their fifth victory in the past seven games.

In the process, Martinez also might have won himself a starting job in left, for a day or two if nothing else.

Chris James, who took Martinez’s job when he was acquired June 3 from the Philadelphia Phillies, suffered strained quadriceps in the back of both legs earlier in the inning. He had opened the 11th with a single up the middle, but while running to third on Mike Pagliarulo’s double down the right-field line, he pulled up lame.

Shawn Abner was brought in to run, and although James’ injury is not believed to be serious, it could leave him sidelined for a couple of days.

Benito Santiago, batting eighth, was then intentionally walked, loading the bases. With Mark Grant (5-1), who had pitched two scoreless innings, due up next, McKeon called upon Martinez to face Jim Acker.

Martinez, who had been overlooked four times earlier in the game in pinch-hitting situations, didn’t say a word. He walked past McKeon, grabbed a bat and walked to the plate.

He looked around the ballpark, saw that few of the 8,363 fans still remained at Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium and smiled. He just knew he was going to be sending them home, being the hero on this night.

He took the first pitch for a strike, then watched the next two for balls. He fouled the next pitch back and clutched his bat in disgust, cursing under his breath.

“I was mad because that was a long-ball pitch right there, and I missed it,” Martinez said. “I said, ‘Damn, I don’t know if I’m going to get another one.’ ”

Now just trying to make contact, Martinez swung at the next pitch and hit a sinking line drive to shallow center. McDowell came in running hard, dove and missed it. Martinez indeed was the hero.

Afterwards, he wondered aloud if he should savor this moment, because this could be the last time he wins a game with his bat while wearing a Padre uniform.

Martinez, who has been with the team six seasons, is a free agent after this season. It’s questionable that the Padres will want him back for another, and Martinez ended any lingering doubts by saying that they need not ask.

“This is a horse. . . job,” he said. “I know I can still play (as a starter), and I’m not going to take another year like this. I just want to play, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen here.”

Does he believe his days indeed are numbered in San Diego?

“What do you think?” he grumbled.

He was then told that since James is injured, McKeon said that he’ll probably be in the starting lineup tonight. But instead of cheering him up, the news just irritated him, making him almost forget all about his 11th-inning heroics.

“Is that what he’s saying, if the guy’s hurt, I get to play?” Martinez asked. “You’ve got to be kidding me? Like I never played before in my life. Like this is the biggest chance in my life.

“I’m telling you, that’s a bunch of . . . .

“I know I got my chance this year, and I know I blew it. But look at everyone else around here. They’ve gotten chances, lots of chances, and you don’t see them on the bench. I get one chance, and I’m buried.

“Great, I’m the hero for one night.

“What’s going to happen the next?”

Padre Notes

Tim Flannery’s pinch-hit single in the eighth, which enabled the Padres to tie the game off Joe Boever (2-2), snapped Flannery’s hitless streak of 17 at-bats. His last hit was July 5 . . . Mark Davis pitched a one-two-three 11th inning for his 26th save of the season. . . . Tony Gwynn’s three-hit game was his first since June 28. . . . Shortstop Garry Templeton, who has missed the past six games with a strained tendon behind his left knee, is expected to start tonight for the first time since last Wednesday. Templeton, who had knee drained Sunday, was used as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning and grounded out. It’s the third time this season that Templeton has had his left knee drained, the last being seven weeks ago in Houston. “This is the best I’ve felt in a while,” Templeton said. “I’m ready to get back in there.” . . . Padre Manager Jack McKeon said that no club contacted him Monday before the midnight trade deadline. In fact, he said, he has not had any trade talks in the past week. The Padres and the other 25 big league clubs still can make deals before the end of the season, but now all players must clear waivers before being traded. . . . Padre pitcher Dennis Rasmussen picked off Oddibe McDowell in the fifth inning. After not having any pickoffs in his first 20 starts, Rasmussen now has two in his past two games. . . . Left fielder Chris James led the Padres with a .321 batting average in July. . . . Although Brave outfielder Dale Murphy has three home runs and 11 RBIs in the past week, he’s hitting .143. . . . The Padres will play the second game of their three-game series against the Braves at 4:40 today. Bruce Hurst (9-8) and Tom Glavine (9-6) are the scheduled starters. The Braves altered their pitching plans for Thursday and now will start John Smoltz (11-8), their ace, against Don Schulze (1-0).