Padres Lose Again, May Seek Trade

Padre Manager Jack McKeon has tried revamping his lineup. He has tried juggling leadoff hitters. He even tried keeping four starters out of one game this season.

The man has tried everything but voodoo to pull the Padres out of their slump, but after they suffered their fifth consecutive defeat Tuesday night, 2-1, to the St. Louis Cardinals, it might be time to put his alter ego, Trader Jack, into action.

McKeon, who has dealt 165 players in his 10 years with the Padres, is ready to wheel and deal.

Granted, McKeon is a patient man, but when your offense scores 13 runs and bats .214 over the six games, patience can leave your neck stiff watching everyone climb over you in the standings.

The Padres (9-11) are in their worst skid since June 6-13, 1989, and they had not lost five consecutive games at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium since April 30-May 4, 1988.

Certainly, when you starting pitcher Ed Whitson yields just five hits and two runs in eight innings and loses, it might be time for action.

This is why McKeon and Cardinal Manager Whitey Herzog were huddled during batting practice Tuesday, each lamenting their problems. McKeon wants some more offense; Herzog is looking for a right-handed reliever.

So they talked about what they could do to help one another.

The Padres are very much interested in outfielder Tom Brunansky, who is in the final year of his contract. The Cardinals are interested in reliever Greg Harris, but because he is off-limits, Herzog would have determine his interest in either Mark Grant or Calvin Schiraldi.

“I’ve talked to a few clubs already,” McKeon said, “but it’s tough to make a trade because of what we have here. There’s not a whole lot we can afford to give up.”

Although McKeon is prohibited by major league rules to discuss his desire for Brunansky without being charged with tampering, he did say: “I tried to get him when I managed the A’s. The thing I like about him is that he’s so consistent.”

Brunasky, 29, is one of only four players in the major leagues who have hit at least 20 homers each of the past eight seasons, joining Dale Murphy of Atlanta, Dwight Evans of Boston and Cal Ripken of Baltimore. And only Ripken and Murphy have longer streaks than Brunansky’s of playing 150 games in each of the past seven seasons.

But it’s no secret that Brunansky is being shopped around the league. Even Brunansky knows that. Take a look:

He’s one of four Cardinal players in the final year of a contract; the Cardinals have four starting outfielders, and with the exception of Milt Thomson ($866,667), each is making at least $1 million. And Brunansky ($1.5 million) happens to be the struggling big time, batting just .170 with one homer and two RBIs.

“We’ve known from the beginning that one of the four outfielders have to be traded,” Brunansky said. “You can’t pay all four outfielders the money we’re making and have one sit. And this club needs help in the bullpen.

“So one of us has to go.”

And Brunansky figures it’s him.

He and agent Nick Lampros have initiated contract talks with the Cardinals, but Bruansky is asking for a no-trade clause. The Cardinals refuse.

End of discussion.

So, just where would Mr. Brunansky like to be traded?

Hint: He lives 15 minutes from San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium in Rancho Bernardo.

“I love hitting at this place,” Brunansky said, “and it’d sure be nice playing at home.”

Actually, if you want to an honest answer, Brunansky said, “the Padres and the Angels are 1-1. I’d love to play for either.”

Brunansky was born and raised in Covina, drafted by the Angels out of Cal Poly Pomona in 1978 but was traded four years later to the Minnesota Twins.

How about the Dodgers? Would you consider going there as a free agent?

“Nah,” he said, “the Dodgers have enough outfield problems.”

In the meantime, McKeon will stay close to his telephone, talking to any club who’ll dare talk with him while trying to remain patient with his own.

He already went out to find help for his bullpen Tuesday, signing John Davis to a triple-A contract. Davis, a 27-year-old right-hander, was released last week by the Milwaukee Brewers’ triple-A Denver club and earlier this year by the Chicago White Sox.

For now, McKeon is just trying to make the best of what he has, and on this day, he shuffled the top seven spots in his lineup. He dropped Bip Roberts from the leadoff spot to No. 7 and moved everyone but No. 8 hitter Garry Templeton and pitcher Ed Whitson up one spot in the lineup.

Again, it did little good.

The Padres managed to hit just one ball out of the infield through the first three innings and did not collect a hit until the fourth. Seventeen of the final 21 batters did not reach base.

Although No. 3 hitter Joe Carter drove in one run,and cleanup hitter Jack Clark went one for three with a double and a walk, there was little other offense. The bottom five spots in the lineup went two for 17, and Roberts went hitless in three at-bats while failing to draw a walk for the 10th game in a row.

Now what?

“It’s frustrating,” Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn said. “With the kind of people we have in the lineup, we should put some more runs on on the board. It’s really difficult right now.

“What you want to do offensively is not put the pitcher in a positions where one pitch is going to beat him. In tight ballgames like the few we’ve had, it seems like we always get him in situations where one pitch can beat him.”

The Padres, who led the league in one-run victories last season with a 30-18 record, are 1-4 in one-run games this year, 0-3 in those games at home.

This time, the Padres and Cardinals were deadlocked at 1-1 when Cardinal leadoff hitter Vince Coleman, who struck out four times, opened the eighth with a ground ball toward second baseman Roberto Alomar.

Whitson’s first reaction?

“He’s out.”

But Alomar, playing in because of Coleman’s speed, tried to backhand the ball and came up empty. “With a normal guy, I stay back,” Alomar said, “but I was playing in because of his speed.”

The play was ruled a hit, but the crowd of 18,562 let official scorer Bill Zavestoski know exactly what they thought of the call by booing lustily.

“I wish the guy would watch the game a little closer,” Whitson said.

It wound up costing Whitson just his fourth earned run in the past 28 innings. Coleman went to second on Ozzie Smith’s sacrifice, stayed there when Willie McGee struck out and Pedro Guerrero was intentionally walked and scored on Denny Walling’s two-out single to left.

That was all the Cardinals needed. The Padres threatened in the ninth on Clark’s one-out double to right, but Fred Lynn struck out and Benito Santiago grounded out, ending yet another night of frustration.

“Hell, yes, it was tough,” Whitson said. “I’d rather get beat, 10-0, than that. You’ve got to win those type of games.

“But I haven’t seen a game won yet without a run crossing the plate.”

Padre Notes

Cardinal first baseman Pedro Guerrero’s fourth-inning home run was his 29th career homer against the Padres, including 22 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, the most he has hit against any club. . . . Catcher Benito Santiago was selected Padre player of the month for April with his career-high .397 batting average. Ed Whitson (2-0, 1.50 ERA) was selected pitcher of the month. . . . Run support for the Padre starting rotation this season: Dennis Rasmussen, 21 runs while in the game, 29 runs during his four starts; Whitson, 15 and 21; Andy Benes, 14 and 20; Bruce Hurst, four and nine; and Eric Show, three and nine. . . . The Padres are skipping Show’s turn in the rotation because of the two off-days. He owns an 0-3 record and 4.87 ERA. . . . Padre pitcher Mike Dunne, who’s at Las Vegas on a rehabilitation assignment, yielded six runs and two runs (one earned) in 6 2/3 innings against Calgary.