Their Ears Still Burning, Padres Pound Cardinals

Padre Manager Jack McKeon threw his shaving kit into his duffel bag Thursday afternoon and was taking one last look around to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything when he noticed a small piece of paper in his locker.

He grabbed it curiously and studied it, and soon an expansive grin covered his face.

“Hey, how about that, my notes from the team meeting,” McKeon said. “You think I should keep them?”

Bill Beck, the assistant general manager, didn’t hesitate. “Don’t throw those away. You never know when you might need them again.”

McKeon opened his briefcase, dropped the notes in and headed out the door.

After the Padres walloped the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-1--their most lopsided victory over them since May 17, 1985--with five players getting two or more hits and a pitcher completing just his second game in 39 starts, McKeon might want to store those notes in the family safe.

Although McKeon didn’t contribute any of the 15 hits or pitch to a Cardinal batter, his late-night talk Wednesday appeared to have awakened the Padres from a month-long trance.

“He made it perfectly clear how he doesn’t like what he’s been seeing,” Padre third baseman Bip Roberts said. “He chewed us out pretty good. Real good, in fact.

“There were a lot of guys talking when he was done. We knew the man was right. We knew everything he said was right on the money.”

McKeon didn’t know what effect the closed-door meeting might have had when he arrived at the ballpark Thursday morning, but he was quite sure he wasn’t going to see a repeat of Wednesday’s performance. If he had gone through another game in which his team committed four errors, forgot how many outs there were in an inning and turned a 5-0 lead into a 11-5 defeat, he would have staged his own bench-clearing brawl, taking on his entire team.

“I made my point,” McKeon said, “and when I was done, you can be sure everybody knew how I felt.”

There was a different approach when the Padres took the field this time. There was little laughter in the clubhouse, no practical gags and a seriousness that hadn’t been seen around these parts in a while.

“After what happened last night,” said Rasmussen (3-1), “there were guys in here who wanted to play right away. We didn’t even want to go back to the hotel and wait ‘til morning. I think that’s why you saw guys arriving today so early that they even beat the trainers.”

It was quickly evident that this was a different team than the one that lost nine of its previous 12 games.

You want aggressiveness? It started with Rasmussen diving to field Ozzie Smith’s bunt in the third inning, and continued until Roberts ended the game by sliding on his knees and landing face first on the artificial turf while fielding a ball that deflected off Rasmussen.

You want persistence? The Padres once again carried a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth but this time refused to stop. They hit in all but one of the final five innings, adding two runs in the seventh and two in the ninth.

You want splendor? The Padres’ 15-hit attack was led by the two little guys in the lineup. Second baseman Roberto Alomar went four for four with two doubles, raising his average to .358. Roberts went two for five and hit a 440-foot home run into the second deck, further than he has ever hit a ball. And there was Rasmussen, quelling any thoughts the Cardinals might have entertained about making another comeback, allowing just three hits and three fly balls out of the infield during the final five innings. For the game, only four Cardinal baserunners made it as far as second.

“Guys, all of a sudden, were more determined,” Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn said. “This club always seems to respond to a tongue-lashing, and you saw what happened. There were no mental mistakes, guys were selective at the plate, everyone played well defensively.

“You know, I hope he cusses us out every night. Maybe then we can put an end to all these inconsistencies, make a run and get back in this thing.”

The Padres (13-15), who trail the Cincinnati Reds by 7 1/2 games, have actually been more consistent than they realize. They have proven they can hold their own against the rest of the league, but they haven’t had a clue against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, the division leaders. Take a look:

The Padres versus the Reds and Pirates: 0-7, having been outscored, 50-19.

The Padres versus everyone else: 13-8, having outscored the opposition, 109-69.

“I know this team is going to be better than what we’ve shown,” Alomar said. “When you lose the games we lose, you say, ‘What’s going on?’ We’re too good of a team to be playing like that.

“But I think we’ll be OK. I think the worst is behind us. We’ve got a good team, and I think today we showed that.”

Certainly, Alomar showcased his talents in front of 28,597 at Busch Stadium. He doubled in his first two at-bats, meaning his past six hits had been doubles. He must have gotten tired, because in his last two at-bats, he merely singled twice.

“I’ve got to say I’m hot right now,” Alomar said. “I’ve learned you always have good days and bad days, and right now, I’m taking advantage of these good days.”

The way Alomar is hitting, McKeon said, he will remain in the No. 3 spot even when first baseman Jack Clark (strained lower back) returns to the lineup, possibly be as early as this weekend. Alomar has batted third the past five games, and during that time, he is 12 for 20 (.600) with six doubles, four runs and four RBIs.

While Alomar has lately been the focus of the Padres’ offense, Roberts quietly is emerging as the threat he was a year ago when he batted .301 with a .391 on-base percentage. In the past 15 games, Roberts has hit four homers, scored 14 runs and hit .382, raising his season average to .286.

The trouble for Roberts is that although the league has learned to respect his ability, it’s still difficult for others to accept that a guy 5-feet-7, 165 pounds, can hit the ball into the second deck.

After his ninth-inning homer Thursday, Roberts had not even circled the bases before Cardinal broadcaster Mike Shannon was telling folks how Roberts must be corking his bat.

Roberts’ response?

“I gave him my bat and told him to check it out for himself,” Roberts said. “I don’t think I’ve ever hit a ball like that before. I just reacted, and the ball took off.”

But while the Padres put on an offensive show, and Cardinal shortstop Ozzie Smith dazzled with his defensive skills, the group of scouts sitting in the stands were intrigued by the efforts of Rasmussen.

He and fellow starter Eric Show each have been heavily scouted this past week, and the Boston Red Sox have made no secret that they might be interested in acquiring one of them. Red Sox scout Steve Schryver has been following the Padres throughout this trip, and McKeon is doing nothing to dissuade their interest.

“I think I can help this team win, and obviously I want to stay here,” Rasmussen said. “But obviously how I feel isn’t going to make a difference. They’re going to do what they want.

“But it doesn’t bother me. Remember, I played in New York. So I can handle anything. It’s just something I don’t have any control over, so why worry about it?”

Padre Notes

Cardinal pitcher Joe Magrane gave up 10 hits and seven earned runs, failing to win for the 12th consecutive start dating back to Aug. 29. Said Magrane (0-6): “I came into the year as the No. 1 pitcher, but the way I’m pitching now, I feel like I’m a No. 15 pitcher.” . . . Padre catcher Mark Parent on Rasmussen’s performance: “That’s as good as game as I’ve ever seen Raz throw. He’s really concentrating now, and you can see the difference.” . . . Reliever John Davis, who signed a triple-A contract but has been with the Padres the past week to work out with pitching coach Pat Dobson, will join the Las Vegas team Saturday in Spokane. “I hope to be back real soon,” he said. “I learned a lot here, and really, I’m happier now than I’ve been in the last three years.”