Harris Has Right Look for Padres : He Beats Dodgers for First Victory in His New Role

It doesn’t matter whether Greg Harris is wearing a Giorgio Armani or his brown pinstripe baseball uniform. The teasing and taunts occur daily.

Just once, his Padre teammates say, they’d like to find one hair out of place. Or some dirt under his fingernails. Even an unshaved face would do.

“Look at the guy,” Padre infielder Tim Flannery said, laughing. “Does he look like a baseball player?”

Harris, a 25-year-old bachelor who seems to have just stepped out of GQ, ignores the ridicule and insults, passing it aside as jealousy.

And if Harris keeps pitching the way he did Saturday in the Padres’ 4-2 victory over the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, don’t be surprised if you find the whole darn pitching staff standing in front of the mirror before each game.

Harris, in just his fourth start of the season since leaving the bullpen, pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings, allowing four hits in front of 38,421. Frustrating the Dodgers with an assortment of curves and fastballs, Harris (4-6) allowed just five fly balls to the outfield and only two baserunners to second before tiring in the eighth.

It was quite a contrast to his previous three starts since he took over for starter Eric Show, who underwent back surgery last week. The Padres lost them all and were outscored, 15-4. Harris allowed 11 earned runs in 17 2/3 innings for a 5.60 ERA.

“I don’t think it was a must-win situation today, but at this point in the season, it was a big win,” Harris said. “I know I have to pick it up for us to get back in this thing.

“We really need Eric on the team. I wish he could pitch tomorrow. But he can’t. And I’ve got to bust my butt to help out.”

Harris afterward explained to reporters how vital it was for him to get untracked if the Padres are to have a shot in the division race. He told them how he could care less whether he’s a starter or reliever, but with Show out for the season, he feels he could contribute more as a starter. He tried to tell reporters all of this, but constantly he was interrupted by teammates trying to help.

“Tell them how long you combed your hair today, Greg.”

“Do you really comb your hair before you take a shower?”

“Tell them about the time you blow-dried your hair with your baseball cap on?”

These are things inquiring minds want to know, right?

Harris, who indeed does comb his hair before taking the field, refused to answer any of the others on the grounds that they could incriminate him.

“No comment, no comment,” Harris said, laughing.

Padre Manager Jack McKeon, who doesn’t care if his players look like Ton Selleck or Tom Lasorda, said the only problem with Harris starting is that it creates a void in the bullpen. Mark Grant must assume Harris’ role as the setup man for Mark Davis, which is fine, McKeon said. But this leaves him him with a trio of question marks--Dave Leiper, Pat Clements and Fred Toliver--to fill Grant’s vacated job, a choice that obviously leaves him distressed. But as with Friday’s upcoming doubleheader, for which McKeon said he has no idea who will start, these are times when he can’t worry about scrambling roles.

“You really look at our ballclub, and say, ‘Where the hell does he fit in with Show out?’ ” McKeon said. “Ideally, you’d like to keep him where was before, in the set-up role. Now, he pitches once for you every five days instead of three times every five games. But what are you going to do?”

McKeon is having a similar but more pleasant problem with his starting lineup each day. Carmelo Martinez, who has spent more useless time sitting around these past two months than the Exxon Valdez, is forcing his way into the lineup.

Martinez, starting for the fourth consecutive game since May 28-June 4, went three for three with two doubles and is hitting .588 (10 for 17) with five RBIs since rejoining the starting lineup.

His play forced first baseman Jack Clark out of the lineup Saturday, but it could eventually lead to center fielder Marvell Wynne being benched. McKeon is contemplating moving right fielder Tony Gwynn to center, Martinez to first and Clark to right.

“Jack’s talked to me about it,” Gwynn said, “and said don’t be surprised if he puts me there. I can play center, and whatever it takes this year to help our chances to get to the playoffs, I’ll do.”

But it was Wynne who sent the Padres on their way Saturday in the fourth, hitting a three-and-two fastball into the right-field seats. It was his first homer since July 5, some 84 at-bats ago.

Chris James, starting in left after missing the past three games with a hip-flexor injury, provided a comfortable 3-0 lead with his two-run homer in the sixth. But it was the Padres’ final run in the seventh that had those in the Padre dugout high-fiving everyone in sight.

With Martinez on first and one out, Benito Santiago singled to center. Center fielder Franklin Stubbs kicked the ball, started to pick it up and kicked it again. Martinez kept running, and when third-base Coach Sandy Alomar waved him home, there was Dodger catcher Mike Scioscia standing in his way at home awaiting the ball.

The relay from Alfredo Griffin was high, but that didn’t stop Martinez from throwing a forearm into Scioscia’s ribs before stepping onto home plate and into an ecstatic dugout.

“We were going crazy when that happened,” Gwynn said. “We were slapping guys on the back, slapping high-fives, just going nuts. You do that kind of stuff when you’re playing the Dodgers. The first thing you think about when Scioscia’s standing there is contact. You don’t worry about taking home plate, you’re thinking about knocking Scioscia down.”

The Dodgers did not score until the ninth, ending bullpen stopper Mark Davis’ scoreless streak of 19 consecutive innings, but he still wound up with his career-high 29th save, which leads the major leagues.

It also provided the Padres (55-55) with their eighth victory in the past 11 games, and enabled them to creep within six games of the second-place Houston Astros.

What a way to wipe out the memories of the previous night, particularly for Gwynn, who was ejected Friday night by rookie umpire Jerry Layne for just the third time in his career.

Too frustrated to even talk Friday after the Padres’ 6-3 defeat, afraid of what he just might say, Gwynn arrived to the ballpark Saturday acting almost as if the incident had never happened. He dressed, asked McKeon if he could take out the lineup card and spent the rest of the morning visiting with a group of inner-city kids at Dodger Stadium and standing in the sun for 45 minutes signing about 300 autographs.

“It’s a great day, isn’t it?” Gwynn said, strolling into the clubhouse. “I just feel good because I’m playing. Sitting there and watching the game on TV last night was no fun.”

McKeon granted Gwynn’s request of bringing out the lineup card with one condition: “Don’t get your . . . thrown out.”

Gwynn laughed. Who, me?

True to his word, Gwynn simply ran to home plate with the lineup card, said good afternoon to the crew, and ran back to the dugout.

“I had my say last night, he had his say,” Gwynn said, “I don’t hold any grudges. In my own mind, I was right, but there are decisions you’re not going to agree with.

“In that situation, the umpire thought I was showing me up and he had the right to throw me out.

“I just lost it last night. I’m not perfect. I’m a human being. I’ve got an attitude problem just like everyone else. I can drop some choice words on people.”

Well, Gwynn mused, at least he got some national air time. Harris was denied his Saturday when NBC canceled their original plans and instead telecast the Giants-Astros game.

Gee, just when Harris’ hair was combed and everything.

Padre Notes

Although Manager Jack McKeon said he did not know who his starters would be Friday night in the doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves, Padre pitching Coach Pat Dobson said that the likely candidates are Dennis Rasmussen and Bruce Hurst. Rasmussen would be starting on his regular turn, and Hurst would be pitching on three days rest. Don Schulze would then pitch on three days rest Saturday. . . . Padre bullpen stopper Mark Davis has been successful in his past 11 save opportunities. . . . Dodger outfielder Mickey Hatcher suffered a strained left hamstring Friday night when he chased two kids through his neighborhood after they broke a window in his home. He finally caught one of the kids and called the police. Hatcher says that all he wants is for the kids to pay for the window. “I was a kid once, too,” Hatcher said, “so I know what it’s like to do stupid things.”