Despite Loss, Schiraldi Starting to Look Better

Calvin Schiraldi exited the clubhouse after Wednesday’s game much the way one has come to expect the No. 5 man in the Padres’ starting rotation to make a departure this season. Quickly and quietly.

When Schiraldi (3-6) was pulled for pinch-hitter Darrin Jackson in the sixth inning, he was pitching well enough to win but was losing, 2-1, and on his way to a third loss in four starts since he returned to the rotation July 25.

New York’s 4-1 victory marked the 20th time in 24 starts that the Padres’ “other” starter has not won. Of the 39 victories by San Diego starters, Ed Whitson (10-7), Andy Benes (9-8), Bruce Hurst (8-8) and Dennis Rasmussen (8-12) have 35.

If there’s any consolation for the Padres, it could be in the fact that Schiraldi, despite his 3.92 earned-run average, has pitched well enough to win his last two decisions.

“If we scored more runs, Calvin would have looked great,” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said. “That’s about as good as you can ask. He just ran into (Met starter) Frank Viola.”

While Viola breezed to his 16th victory, Schiraldi struggled with his control early. He walked Darryl Strawberry to open the second, leading to the first New York run. In the third, Gregg Jefferies led off with a double, and Stawberry doubled him in two outs later.

Then Schiraldi settled down, shutting out the Mets in the fourth, fifth and sixth. He recorded the final two outs of the fifth and the first two in the sixth with consecutive strikeouts of Kevin McReynolds, Strawberry, Howard Johnson and Kelvin Torve.

Schiraldi retired eight of the last nine batters he faced. And, strangely, on each of the six hits he yielded, he was ahead or even in the count.

“I’ve been trying to get him to pitch ahead more,” said Pat Dobson, the Padre pitching coach. “When he does that, he has success. His stuff is good enough to where he doesn’t have to get behind in the count.

“He has an outstanding fastball, and he’s been getting pitches over the plate pretty consistently. He’s getting better and better with each start.”

Riddoch said if Schiraldi, a 6-foot-5 right-hander, continues to throw the way he did Thursday, he will likely remain the Padres fifth man through the final five weeks, after which he becomes a free agent.

The concern is that Schiraldi has struggled through much of a big league career that started with the Mets in 1984. In that time, he has been on four different clubs and through numerous experiments as a starter and a reliever. He is 32-36 lifetime. His greatest success came with Boston in 1986, a season in which he finished with nine saves and a 1.41 ERA.

But life in the bullpen this season (31 of his first 32 appearances were in relief) has been a nightmare. Each of the past 16 runners on base when he has entered a game has scored. So now, after Eric Show, Mike Dunne and Derek Lilliquist, Schiraldi is in the rotation.

He won his first start, 10-4, against Cincinnati July 25, then lost three in a row.

“He’s a better starter than reliever, there’s no question about that,” Dobson said. “It’s going to take him five starts to get into the routine of starting. He’s pitched pretty well in all of his starts. He’s making a lot of progress, and I’m very pleased with that right now.”