Hurst, Clark Emerge From Spring Slumps

Jack Clark and Bruce Hurst tried not to show it. They kept telling themselves it was far too early to panic.

But yet, there was this genuine concern that refused to go away.

They kept remembering what happened a year ago, when they were expected to lead the Padres to the division championship, only to fail.

Clark and Hurst each joined the Padres in the 1988 off-season with big bucks, glamorous portfolios, and World Series experience. But each struggled so badly in the first half that by the time they finally got untracked, the Padres were out of the race.

“It was the worst time of my life,” Clark said.

Said Hurst: “I put so much pressure on myself, that I just wasn’t having fun. I remember pitching my first game, my brother calling me and saying, ‘Hey, you don’t have to make all that money in just one outing, you know.’ But that’s the way I felt, under pressure.”

Now at a time when they each so badly wanted to erase all of the memories of the past season, here they were, struggling again. Clark was hitting just .176 with one homer and five RBIs. Hurst was winless in his first two starts, posting a 3.38 ERA while yielding 12 hits in eight innings.

“I wanted to put my game-face on today,” said Hurst, who’s scheduled to be the Padres’ opening-day pitcher Monday against the Dodgers. “It was time for me to turn it up, to start pushing myself.”

Well, seven innings later, Hurst was walking off the mound with 6-2 lead, allowing six hits and one run, while striking out seven. It was his best outing of the spring, Padre Manager Jack McKeon said.

“The way I felt today, I could have gone eight or nine innings,” said Hurst, who won eight of 15 games after the All-Star break. “It’s the best I felt all spring. Now, for the first time, I think, I’m ready.”

While Hurst indeed was the most impressive pitcher in the Padres’ 6-5 victory over the Angels, raising their record to 9-2, it was Clark who stole the show.

“I was kind of struggling there,” Clark said, “and I just hadn’t been feeling comfortable all spring. I wanted to get that feeling back.”

Clark took care of that quite nicely, hitting two home runs--the first measuring about 440 feet and the second estimated at 500 feet--and driving in four runs. He even managed to mix in a double in his 3-for-4 performance, and turned a 3-6-3 double play in the field.

“I hope that the way it’s going to be opening day,” said Clark, who had just one homer and five RBIs all last spring. “Certainly, this is a good place for me to start. I’d like to feel I can drive the ball whenever I go up to the plate, and that’s the way I felt today.”

Clark struck out in his first at-bat, doubled in his next, and then came out to play. First, he hit a curveball over the left-center field wall off Kirk McCaskill in the fifth inning. And in the seventh, he hit a slider off Jim Abbott that traveled so far that it carried over the fence, over an orange grove, and onto the traffic on Bristo Road.

“I hit that one pretty good,” Clark said, “so I knew I could afford to stand there and watch it. That was kind of fun.”

But the most impressive aspect of Clark’s power-performance, said Padre outfielder Tony Gwynn, is that he uses such a small-barrelled bat, particularly for a power-hitter. It leaves him little room for error, Clark conceded, but it’s also a bat that makes him the most comfortable.

“It’s like a magic wand,” he said, “it’s easy to wave it. Really, if you’re swinging good, it doesn’t matter if you’re batting with a toothpick or a tree stump, you just have that confidence.

Hmmm, so just what’s so special about this bat, the M-253 model?

“Well, the ‘M’ stands for Joe Morgan,” Clark said, “because these are the kinds of bats he used.

“I won’t get to the Hall of Fame because I’m using his bats, but I know I’ll get a few hits using it.”

It probably shouldn’t have bothered him as much as it did, but when McKeon assured Gwynn on Wednesday morning that he was not being traded, Gwynn felt complete relief.

“I’m used to hearing lots of rumors, but none that have Tony Gwynn in them,” said Gwynn, the Padres’ four-time batting champion. “That was a strange feeling. The last time I heard a rumor about me was in my second year when I was supposed to be traded to San Francisco.

“It had me worried for awhile. I’m just glad it all got cleaned up, but guys have been busting my chops about it all day.”

The rumor, circulating wildly in New York, had the Padres trading Gwynn to the New York Mets in exchange for third baseman Howard Johnson and pitcher Ron Darling.

But McKeon and Joe McIlvaine, the Mets vice president of operations, shot down any credibility to the rumor Wednesday.

“I haven’t even talked to the Mets this spring,” McKeon said.

Said McIlvaine said: “I’ve talked to a lot of teams this spring, but the one team I haven’t talked to is the Padres.”

Padres Notes

The Padres optioned pitcher Eric Nolte to their triple-A team in Las Vegas Wednesday, reducing their big league roster to 31 players. “He just needs to get some work in,” Manager Jack McKeon said, “and he’s not going to get it by being with us.” . . . The Padres must get down to 27 players by Sunday, but in reality have just one remaining decision. They’ve already decided to cut catcher Ronn Reynolds and put pitcher Mike Dunne and probably Dan Murphy on the disabled list because of their ailing shoulders. They now have to decide which reliever to keep: Rafael Valdez or Steve Peters. The decision likely will be made Sunday. . . . The Padres have asked waivers on first baseman Rob Nelson. He could be picked up by any team for $20,000. If no team claims him, he’ll remain with the Padres. The Padres have asked him to sign a waiver that would relinquish his right to free agency if they option him to Las Vegas. Nelson said he will wait until Friday before making a decision. . . . Reggie Jackson visited Wednesday with McKeon, sitting alongside him during the game. . . . Padre pitcher Andy Benes won the clubhouse NCAA pool, earning $735. “What can I say,” Benes said, “I did my homework. . . . Just how is shortstop Garry Templeton’s knee? He played the entire game Wednesday, all 12 innings, when the Padres and Angels agreed to play three extra innings. . . . Outfielders Tony Gwynn and Lynn continued their hitting streaks. Gwynn extended his hitting streak to seven games by going one for three, and is batting .448 for the spring. Lynn also went one for three, and is batting .526. . . . Craig Lefferts picked up his second save of the spring, yielding two hits and striking out two in 1 2/3 innings. He came in to relieve Calvin Schiraldi, who allowed three hits, two walks, and three earned runs in one-third inning. . . . Padre catcher Benito Santiago hit two doubles, raising his batting average to .421 and second baseman Roberto Alomar went two for three and is batting .500. . . . The Padres close out their spring-training schedule in Arizona today with a 1:05 p.m. game against the Angels.