Schiraldi Pulls Self Together, Beats Dodgers

The start of the game was just 45 minutes away. The Dodgers were in the clubhouse. The Padres were taking their last cuts in batting practice.

And Padre starting pitcher Calvin Schiraldi?

He was lying on the trainer’s table with a pained expression on his face and Padre trainer Dick Dent working furiously on his right forearm.

This is a player with the reputation of having a fragile psyche anyway, and considering that he was coming into a critical game with no idea whether he could throw a pitch, let alone a strike, you can understand why the Padres were a bit apprehensive.

Fellow starter Dennis Rasmussen was stationed in the bullpen. Middle relievers Greg Harris and Mark Grant were told not to stray far from the bullpen phone. Mark Davis was forewarned that this save situation could be the longest of his life.

“The way I felt,” said Schiraldi, who lasted two innings in his last start because of a strained forearm, “they had to be ready for anything. I mean, I was hurting.”

It was no secret to the Dodgers. They saw how Schiraldi had to abandon his windup, pitching the entire time out of the stretch. They watched Schiraldi’s fastball floating across the plate. They even observed Schiraldi receiving rubdowns with anti-inflammatory cream on his aching forearm during each half-inning.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, they then were forced to watch themselves flail away miserably at the plate and fail everywhere else, losing, 7-1, to the Padres in front of 24,338 at Dodger Stadium.

If it were not indignity enough to get just two hits in five innings off Schiraldi, they also suffered the embarrassment of giving up Schiraldi’s first home run since 1980, when he played for Westlake High School in Austin, Tex.

“Yeah, we wanted to get Schiraldi out of there earlier,” Padre Manager Jack McKeon mused, “but we wanted to leave him in there to hit.

“Really, it’s just incredible to what’s happening to this team. We’re tickled to death by everything we’re seeing out there.”

Well, everything, that is, except the scoreboard.

The San Francisco Giants won again Saturday against Houston, retaining their five-game lead over the Padres with just seven to play.

Winning 25 of their past 32 games might be the finest streak in the 21-year history of the franchise, and the Padres’ 85-70 record guarantees them of their second-best record ever.

But the reality of the situation is simply that the Giants’ magic number is three. The Padres must win their remaining games and hope that the Giants lose twice before they come into San Diego Friday for a three-game series.

“Eight straight for an extra date,” Davis kept saying over and over in the Padre clubhouse before the game.

And now that there are seven games left?

“Give me time,” he said, “I’ve got to think of something that rhymes.”

Actually, the chore should have been left to Schiraldi. He did practically everything else on this day.

“The guy was just awesome,” said Harris, who allowed just one hit in the final four innings after inheriting a 7-1 lead. “I mean, I didn’t even know he’d be able to pitch today. We were told to me ready for anything, and then he comes in and does that.”

Schiraldi, 3-0 in four starts since being traded Aug. 30 from the Chicago Cubs, appeared as if he would indeed have a brief outing during his first-inning performance.

He opened the game by striking out Alfredo Griffin and Lenny Harris but then walked Mike Davis. And walked Eddie Murray. And walked Jeff Hamilton.

Padre pitching coach Pat Dobson strolled to the mound and asked if Schiraldi’s arm was bothering him.

“No, I actually feel all right,” Schiraldi said, “I’m just pitching lousy.”

Oh.

Dobson told him to keep the ball on the outside of the plate and prevent one swing from producing four runs. He threw one pitch. Mike Scioscia hit a lazy fly to center. And after 30 grueling pitches, Schiraldi’s first-inning was over.

The rest was a breeze. The Dodgers couldn’t touch him. The only problem was that the Padres weren’t doing anything against Fernando Valenzuela, either.

But in the fourth, catcher Benito Santiago obtained just the second Padre hit. Carmelo Martinez, who had gotten the first hit--his first since Aug. 23--walked. After Darrin Jackson struck out, the Padres had two outs and Schiraldi striding toward the plate.

This is a guy who had not gotten a hit all season. He came up with a career average of .081, and none of those seven hits were homers.

Valenzuela, who would equal a season high with six walks, fell behind two and one. He then told himself, “Hey, it’s Schiraldi. Don’t try to be cute.”

His next pitch was a fastball over the heart of the plate.

It landed about six rows into the left-field seats.

It was, in the words of Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda, “the ballgame.”

Schiraldi went out and shut down the Dodgers in the bottom of the fourth; watched his teammates score four more runs in the fifth, contributing a walk, and with a 7-0 lead, made his only mistake of the game in the bottom of the fifth by yielding rookie Darrin Fletcher’s first home run.

“It was a very special day for me,” Schiraldi said. “Not so much that I pitched or that I won. Or that I pitched with the injury. What made it special was the homer.”

Said teammate Tony Gwynn: “I don’t know who was surprised more. The Dodgers or us. When he hit that homer, we were going absolutely crazy.”

Schiraldi’s blast also allowed Gwynn to sit out with his ailing feet propped up. Bothered the past two months with a sore Achilles’ tendon, he then fouled two balls off his right foot in the same exact spot Friday night.

The pain was so severe that Gwynn thought his foot might be broken, and he headed off after Friday’s game for X-rays.

At least, that was the original plan.

“The great Dodger doctors told us to go to the Queen of Angels Hospital,” Gwynn said. “We drive up, and find out it’s been closed for eight months.”

That should have been Gwynn and Dent’s clue to give up the search.

“Man, I wish it was,” Gwynn said.

Instead, nearly four hours after the game ended, Gwynn and Dent still were driving around town until they finally gave up.

After taking their nostalgic drive past Queen of Angels, Gwynn and Dent were off for St. Vincent’s.

“It turned out to be a specialty hospital,” Gwynn said. “There was no emergency room.”

So off they went to the Good Samaritan.

OK, Gwynn said, they finally found a hospital that was open with a real emergency room and everything.

It seemed perfect.

Until they walked in.

“We filled out all of the paper work,” Gwynn said, “and they told us to go wait in the lobby.

“Oh, man. There was guy in there with blood all over him. Blood all over his face. Blood all over his shirt. Blood all over.

“Another guy walks in, and says, ‘My partner’s been hit. You’ve got to look at him.’ They told him, ‘Sit down, we’ll be right with you.’

“Another guy comes in and says his mom just got hit by a car. The guy tell him, ‘Have a seat.’

“Then three guys come in, and one of them had hit his head against a concrete wall. Two of them take a seat while one guy goes to park the car. When he comes back, and his buddy is still here, he just starts yelling, ‘This is supposed to be an emergency room? A guy’s bleeding to death, and nobody’s doing anything.’ ”

“I mean, this is all happening in a span of about 20 minutes. Finally, I looked at Dick, and he looked at me, and I said, ‘Let’s get the hell out of here.’ ”

Gwynn arrived early to Dodger Stadium and said he actually felt a whole lot better. But McKeon didn’t buy it. He kept Gwynn out of the lineup, although he lost the battle of keeping Gwynn from taking batting practice.

“I’ll be ready to go Sunday,” he said. “There’s a week to go. I’m not stopping now. I’m not going to miss this fun.”

Padre Notes

Padre pitcher Bruce Hurst, who surrendered his first home run in 64 innings Friday to Jose Gonzalez in the fifth inning of the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory, happened to be walking by a TV Saturday when it was shown again on highlights. Hurst kneeled in front of the TV, watched his delivery, and screamed out: “Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Gosh, he threw it again.” . . . The Padres and Dodgers are scheduled to open the 1990 season Monday, April 2, with a four-game series at Dodger Stadium. It will be the first time since 1986 that the Dodgers played their season-opener against the Padres. . . . Dodger outfielder Mike Marshall’s back is out again, and his status is questionable for the final 10 games. He has missed three consecutive games, and 50 this season. “I don’t know if I’ll play again or not,” he said. “There’s only a week left.” . . . Padre second baseman Joey Cora, who is from Caguas, Puerto Rico, said baseball is the only thing keeping his mind off the disaster from Hurricane Hugo. Cora has been unable to contact his family and friends. “I’m worried, I’m real worried,” Cora said. “That thing hit hard. Communications are out over the whole area. Fortunately, I think, everyone was prepared for the hurricane. I just hope, and pray, everybody is OK.” . . . Today is Fan Appreciation Day at Dodgers Stadium, and the game is sold out. Orel Hershiser (14-14) and Andy Benes (5-2) are the scheduled pitchers for the 1:05 p.m. start. . . . Dodger right fielder Mike Davis, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knees started Saturday for the first time since June 30.