Losing Makes Point on McKeon, Padres

Padre Manager Jack McKeon, pummeled Sunday afternoon by questions about his struggling team, fought off every inquiry Sunday while masking his concern.

* Point: Your team lost once again Sunday, losing 6-3 to the Dodgers, dropping its fifth game in the past six games.

* Counterpoint: “Hey, we weren’t going to stay hot forever.”

* Point: After gaining five games in seven days on the Cincinnati Reds, you have given back four games in five days.

* Counterpoint: “So we’re back where we were. We’ll just put together another streak.”

* Point: Your starting pitcher Dennis Rasmussen, who’s tied for the team lead with six victories, was removed from Sunday’s game after one inning because of a stiff right shoulder. He left the team and is scheduled today for a Magnetic Resonance Imaging test at Scripps Clinic.

* Counterpoint: “Well, if he misses his next start, we’ll just throw Calvin Schiraldi in there.”

* Point: Your offense has scored just 14 runs in the past 71 innings, an average of 1.77 runs every nine innings.

* Counterpoint: Silence.

There’s not a whole lot you can say when your team is scoring less than the average World Cup team.

Check it out for yourself:

The Padres have not scored more than three runs in a game since June 9. And after averaging 5.95 runs in their previous 130 innings from May 24 through the eighth inning on May 9, they have barely averaged six hits a game.

Most alarming, is that even when they are getting hits, they’re not doing a darn thing with them.

“Look at this team,” said Padre left fielder Fred Lynn, “it takes us three, four, five hits an inning to score runs sometimes. You’re not going to win too many games like that.”

The Padres collected eight hits Sunday, including two homers and four doubles, but yet went hitless in 11 opportunities with runners in scoring position. In fact, for the three-game series against the Dodgers, they batted just .069 (two for 29) with runners in scoring position.

For an exercise in futility, the Padres had the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning Sunday. Trailing 6-3, the Padres knocked Mike Morgan (7-5) out of the game when Lynn led off with a single and Mike Pagliarulo doubled, prompting Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda to bring in Jay Howell.

So what happens?

Phil Stephenson strikes out.

Pinch-hitter Jack Clark strikes out.

Shawn Abner fouls out.

End of game.

“When the opportunities come, we have to take advantage,” Lynn said, “because if we don’t, we’re in trouble. We’re not the kind of team that can afford to waste scoring opportunities.”

It’s not exactly as if the Padres have been shut down by great pitching, either. In their five recent defeats:

They’ve lost to a pitcher who had a bad hip and was forced to leave the game (Don Robinson); a triple-A pitcher who was just called up to the big leagues (Trevor Wilson); someone named Francisco Oliveras; Fernando Valenzuela; Ramon Martinez, who had thrown 72 pitches through the first three innings alone; and Morgan, who owns a career 49-84 record.

“You always say good pitching stops good hitting,” Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn said, “but in this case, I think it’s just some bad hitting.”

The Padres’ entire offense has been shut down during the past week. The Padres’ top of the order--Bip Roberts (five for 38), Roberto Alomar (four for 26), Tony Gwynn (four for 22), Joe Carter (five for 26) and Jack Clark (0-18)--are in a collective .138 slump.

“I know for myself, I’m trying to do more than I’m capable of doing,” said Gwynn, who’s hitless in his past eight at-bats. “I think I fell into the trap of trying to do what everybody else wanted me to do, and that’s going to end starting in San Francisco. I’ve been trying to drive the ball, and pull the ball, and that’s just not me.

“Right now, we’re just in a rut, and when this club goes into a rut, it’s a big rut.”

Said Lynn: “I think what we’ve got to do right now is just start creating runs. We need to get our running game going again, and force some runs.”

Indeed, the Padres are at the top of their game offensively when they’re stealing bases and forcing errors, just as they did during their winning streak when they stole 21 bases.

But in the past six games, the Padres have a grand total of one stolen base.

“It’s tough to get your running game going when no one gets on,” McKeon said.”

Uh, good point.

The Padres’ batting average over the past six games when leading off an inning? Gulp. Just .148.

“I think what you’re seeing now too is how important Benito (Santiago) was to the bottom part of our lineup,” McKeon said. “You can write all you want about Mark Parent being a great backup, but who’d you rather have day in and day out?

“We’re missing Benny’s offense, and it’s showing.”

And if the Padres didn’t have enough offensive problems with Santiago at home for the next six weeks with a broken left arm, now injuries are beginning to leave the Padres’ pitching staff in disarray.

Rasmussen, who has been receiving ultrasound treatments on his left shoulder the past few weeks, never was able to get his shoulder loose before his start. He wanted to pitch, anyway, but it was apparent from the first batter he faced that there was something wrong.

Rasmussen threw two quick strikes past leadoff hitter Lenny Harris, but then walked him on four pitches. Stan Javier then singled to center, and Kirk Gibson followed with a homer. Rasmussen was able to get out of the inning without any further damage, but when he came into the dugout, McKeon and Pat Dobson, Padre pitching coach, told him to call it a day.

He drove back to San Diego during the game, and is scheduled to be examined today by Dr. Cliff Colwell. If Colwell finds no damage to the shoulder, Rasmussen is expected to rejoin the team Tuesday.

And while the Padres might be without a starter, reliever Greg Harris’ right elbow still is tender from the May 27 brawl in New York. He has not pitched in the past two games, and received medication and underwent therapy once again Sunday. The ulnar bone and ulnar ligament in his elbow still are sensitive, Harris said, but he should be able to pitch today if needed.

Meanwhile Sunday, the Padres needed to quickly find an emergency pitcher, and turned to Eric Show. He pitched effectively for four of the five innings, but his performance was ruined by the Dodgers’ three-run third inning, ignited by Mike Sharperson’s two-out, two-run single.

The Padres threatened to come back with a two-run homer by Roberts--his first since May 1-- and Lynn’s solo homer in the sixth--his first since April 12--but never could get the clutch hit when necessary.

As Lynn put it ever so bluntly, “If this team has to rely on homers by me and Bip to win games, we’re in big trouble.”

Padre Notes

The Padres said they are eager tonight to face Giant pitcher Trevor Wilson, the man who came within three outs of throwing a no-hitter against them Wednesday at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. “I really wasn’t that impressed with him,” Padre center fielder Joe Carter said. “I didn’t think he had that good of stuff. But sometimes you don’t have to have exceptional movement to get away with things. I was surprised we only got one hit, but we’ll see what he has in San Francisco.” . . . Padre second baseman Roberto Alomar, who had made three errors in the past two games, leads all National League second basemen with 11 errors. . . . Alomar and his father, third base Coach Sandy Alomar, on Sunday filmed “Plays of the Week” for ESPN that will be shown tonight. . . . Padre owners Tom Werner and Russell Goldsmith, who spent the weekend watching the Padres’ three-game series against the Dodgers, will be in San Diego all week to evaluate all departments in the Padre front office. . . . Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn struck out Sunday for the 11th time in 240 at-bats, six have been called third strikes. . . . Padre outfielder Shawn Abner celebrated his 24th birthday Sunday.

Dodger Notes

After averaging 3 hours, 35 minutes in their last four games, the Dodgers and Padres played in a sprightly 2:26 Sunday. . . . In his third consecutive start, Stan Javier had two hits and a walk, giving him 15 hits in his last 30 at-bats.