New Team, Old Gleam for Murphy : Padres: Dale Murphy has changed teams, from the Atlanta Braves to the Philadelphia Phillies, but he hasn’t changed his colors. His homer led the Phillies to a 2-1 victory.

Padre fans had read the news, and some had seen the news reports, but they really couldn’t believe it for themselves until they saw it Friday night with their own eyes.

They nudged one another, saying it sure looked like him. He was even wearing good ol’ No. 3. But instead of a tomahawk on the front of his jersey, he was wearing a crimson and gray uniform, and red shoes.

Yes, that was Dale Murphy returning to haunt Padre fans as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, leading his new teammates to a 2-1 victory over the Padres in front of 18,488 fans at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

Murphy, who was traded from Atlanta to the Phillies two weeks ago, might look different with his new uniform, and he’s struggling more than ever this season, but it’s the same ol’ Murph, hitting a mammoth third-inning home run that went about 20 rows up the left-field bleachers.

It was the 58th home run of his career against the Padres, and his 24th homer at San Diego Jack Murphy, the most by any opposing player in the 22-year history of the stadium, surpassing the 23-homer total by Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds.

It was Murphy’s first home in 16 games, his last occurring July 31 against Padre pitcher Eric Show, but most important to him was that this was his first as a member of the Phillies.

“You know, my first one with my new team,” Murphy said, “feels a lot like my first one ever. It feels good. Real good.”

Murphy just so happens to have 372 homers in his career, but after failing to hit a homer in 52 at-bats since joining the Phillies, Manager Nick Leyva told him to quit experimenting with his stance, and go back to where he feels comfortable.

He singled in his first at-bat.

He homered in his second.

“We looked like geniuses, didn’t we?” Leyva said.

Actually, the Phillies’ front office is looking awfully wise.

It was just a month ago when they went on their search for a cleanup hitter. They talked with several teams, and for a while, looked as if they might swing a deal for Padre first baseman Jack Clark.

“We talked,” General Manager Lee Thomas said. “We were interested in Clark as a cleanup hitter. But we might have wanted him to play the outfield, and I don’t know if Jack would have wanted to do that.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that there are a lot of teams that would like to have Jack Clark. I hear people saying how Clark (who was sidelined with a ligament tear in his right ankle) didn’t want to play in the ’87 World Series. I’ll tell you what, if he could have played, he would have been out there. There’s no question in mind mind. That’s what kind of player he is. Everyone wants a guy like that.”

Said Leyva: “Yeah, there were other (No.) 4-hitters available, but some would have taken half of our ballclub to get them.”

So the Phillies settled on Murphy, a two-time National League MVP and seven-time All-Star, signed him to a two-year, $5 million contract extension, and put him in right field.

“You don’t pay a guy $2 1/2 million a year if we don’t think he can produce,” Leyva said. “I think he’ll be just fine.”

Murphy’s homer tied the game at 1 in the third inning, and then it was left to Dickie Thon, one of four former Padres on the Phillies, to finish the job.

Thon, who was sold to the Phillies after the 1988 season, led off the sixth inning with a triple to right-center. Padre pitcher Calvin Schiraldi, who had pulled off a marvelous Houdini act all game, kept Thon standing at third when he induced a shallow fly ball by pitcher Jose DeJesus and a bouncer back to the mound by Lenny Dykstra.

But the magic finally ended for Schiraldi--who allowed 14 baserunners in six innings, including six walks, the most by a Padre pitcher this season--when he yielded a ground ball by catcher Darren Daulton that squirted into right field.

While the focus Friday night might have been on Murphy playing in San Diego for the first time as a Phillie, the Padres got a close-hand look at a new pitcher in the league.

That would be DeJesus, who is 6-foot-5, 180 pounds.

Remember the name.

DeJesus, the latest pitcher the Kansas City Royals have allowed to escape their system, pitched a six-hit complete-game. It was his fourth victory of the season, and the way his 98-m.p.h. fastball and hard slider come across the plate, there might be a lot more victories where those come from.

“I remember facing the guy in Puerto Rico about 1984, 1985,” Padre catcher Benito Santiago said. “But I couldn’t remember what kind of pitcher he was.”

Now he knows, along with the rest of the Padres.

DeJesus, who entered the game with 41 walks in 66 innings, told himself the moment he set foot in San Diego not to walk anyone. “I must have told myself that five times,” he said.

So he goes out in the first inning, gives up a leadoff single to his buddy, Roberto Alomar, and another to Tony Gwynn, and is down 1-0.

“I told myself, well, at least I’m not walking anybody,” DeJesus, 25, said.

DeJesus faced 29 more batters after Gwynn’s hit, and just four managed to reach base. The only other trouble he encountered came in the ninth when he struck out Joe Carter after Carter hit a long foul.

The Padres’ offense was shut down again, and after 46 innings on this home stand, they have scored just 10 runs, including a meager three extra-base hits.

In fact, when Schiraldi hit a two-out double off the yellow striping above the left-field fence in the fifth inning, it was the first extra-base hit by a Padre player other than Joe Carter in 40 innings.

Padre Notes

The Padres have successfully been able to clear waivers with all of their submitted players, according to league sources, making them available to trade before Aug. 31 deadline when playoffs rosters are frozen. It used to be a gentleman’s agreement that no one ever claimed anyone’s players on the waiver wire, making them available for clearance, but this year, sources say, about 25 major league players have been claimed on waivers since July 31. . . . Robbie Beckett, the Padres’ first-round selection in the 1990 June free agent draft, was promoted to the Padres’ Class A club in Riverside and pitched Friday night against Bakersfield, allowing seven hits, eight runs and six walks in 4 2/3 innings. . . . The Padres have decided to eliminate their team in the Arizona Instructional League. The reasoning, the Padres say, is that the benefit of the two months of play for the minor leaguers was not worth the $250,000 cost.

Ever so quietly, Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn is putting together the highest RBI total of his career. Gwynn already has 57 RBIs this season, just five fewer than his total all of last year. If he continues on this pace, Gwynn will finish with 79 RBIs, eight more than his career-high of 71 set in 1984. Although he says it would take a miracle to win the batting title this season, trailing Phillie outfielder Lenny Dykstra by 30 points, .346-.316, Gwynn said he’d have a shot at his fourth consecutive title if he can close to within 20 points by the start of September . . . Phillie first baseman John Kruk tried to pull a prank on Padre pitcher Ed Whitson by telephoning him in the wee hours Friday morning, only to find out that Whitson had already left his house at 4:30 a.m. for a fishing expedition. “Tell him, nice try anyway,” Whitson said. “Hey, what was he doing up so early, anyway.”

Just what kind of luck is Whitson having this season? He owns the second-lowest ERA in the National League at 2.53. He has 20 quality starts in 24 appearances--pitching at least six inning while yielding three or fewer runs. He has allowed just 17 earned runs in his past 10 starts? So what does he have to show for it? A 9-7 record, thanks to his teammates scoring two or fewer runs in 10 of his starts, and more than four runs in just five starts. . . . The Padres have been involved in 16 extra-inning games this season, including three in the past six games, the most since 1985. . . . The Padres will play the second game of their three-game series against the Phillies at 7:05 p.m. today. Andy Benes (8-8) will make his first start for the Padres since Aug. 7. Tommy Greene (1-0) will make his first start for the Phillies, becoming the 11th starting pitcher they have employed this season.