Giants Give Padres, Santiago Another Bad Memory

Padre catcher Benito Santiago has watched replay after replay of the pitch, seeing it so often that he now sees it in his sleep.

If not for that fateful pitch that June 14 afternoon, Santiago knows that the Padres’ game Monday night against the San Francisco Giants very well could have been crucial in the Padres’ hopes for a division championship.

Instead, the only significance of the Padres’ 5-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants was that it dropped them into fifth place for the first time in five weeks, leaving the crowd of 17,287 at San Diego Jack Murphy muttering to themselves that next year can’t begin soon enough.

“I’m sure at this time of year,” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said, “there are a lot of guys just counting down the days.”

Yet, it didn’t have to be this way. If not for that fastball thrown by Giant pitcher Jeff Brantley, which fractured Santiago’s left forearm, maybe it wouldn’t be.

The Padres will never know just what might have been if Santiago had not missed eight weeks, and 52 games of the season. The evidence is that, surely, the Padres wouldn’t be in as deep a mess as they find themselves in now.

The Padres (61-72) lost for the eighth time in the past 10 games, providing them with the third-worst record in the National League.

“I’m not saying we’d be in first place or anything,” Sanitago said, “but I think everybody knows it would have been different. A lot of different.”

The crowd was acutely aware of that fact, and the moment Brantley emerged from the Giant bullpen in the eighth inning, he was booed every step of the way, while Santiago glared at him from first base.

Brantley never did face Santiago on this night. He relieved after starter Kelly Downs walked Santiago. The only confrontation between the two occurred when Brantley threw seven times to first base, trying to prevent Santiago from stealing second.

Santiago stole second, anyway, but Shawn Abner struck out to close out the eighth inning. The Padres threatened again in the ninth when Bip Roberts hit a one-out single, and Roberto Alomar walked. But it came to a screeching halt when Tony Gwynn grounded into a double play, ending the game.

Calvin Schiraldi (3-8) was the losing pitcher, dropping his eighth decision in the past nine outings, and possibly his last as a starter. Derek Lilliquist conceivably could replace Schiraldi as the fifth starter in the rotation, Riddoch said, a spot that has resulted in a 3-15 record.

Yes, a whole lot has changed since the last time the Padres saw the Giants in San Diego. Oh, it it wasn’t exactly as if the Padres were tearing the league up before, owning a 30-28 record, seven games behind the Reds. But during Santiago’s absence, they collapsed, going 21-31, and dropping two sports in the standings to four, 12 1/2 games back.

When you’re batting .317 with nine homers and 33 RBIs at the time of the injury, and your replacments bat .205 with three homers and 13 RBIs, it’s easy to see why Santiago believes he could have made a vast difference.

“The thing I have the hardest time with,” Santiago said, “is that everything was going so good. I was feeling good, and looking good.

“Then that happened, and it’s been hard getting back to that groove.”

Indeed, Santiago is mired in the worst slump of the season, hitless in his two at-bats Monday, with just nine hits in his past 50 at-bats (.180). His batting average has plummeted to .290, its lowest point of the season, and he still has failed to hit a homer since his return.

“Man, that’s what makes it so tough,” he said. “That guy (Brantley) ruined everything.”

This also is why it’s so difficult for Santiago to let bygones be bygones, and forgive Brantley. This is a guy, after all, who occupied Santiago’s mind for weeks. Every day that Santiago watched videotapes of being hit, his mind would race thinking of ways to get even.

“There was a time,” Santiago said, “when I wanted to hurt him. You start thinking of a lot of bad things.

“But then I realized the more I thought about him, the more it was hurting me. I don’t like it, but it’s part of the game. And physically, I’m fine.

“There’s no reason I can’t bounce back and do the same thing next year. I’m going to get in great shape again. I’m going to hit homers. And I’m going to drive in runs.

“The only way I think about it now is that if we get hit again, I hope our pitchers do something about it. I’m not saying you have to fight, or send someone to the hospital, but you can do something about it.”

It also would be nice for the Padres, of course, if they could do something about winning more frequently.

The Padres spotted the Giants a 2-0 lead after two innings on an RBI-single by Will Clark, and run-scoring triple by Brett Butler. They came back in the third, tying the game on Gwynn’s two-run single, providing him with 63 runs, one more than all of last season.

But the Giants continued to add to the Padres’ misery, scoring three runs in the sixth off Schiraldi when the first four batters reached base. Fred Lynn made it interesting with his two-run pinch-hit single in the bottom of the sixth, but the Padres never again were able to even reach third base.

“Next year will be different,” Santiago vowed. “Next year, I’ll be back hitting the way I can. Next year, I think, we’ll play the way we can.”

This year, thanks to the single pitch of June 14, it’s too late.

Padre Notes

Padre first baseman Jack Clark still is livid over an incident Sunday involving Steve Silverman, the Padres’ broadcasting producer and director. When a ground ball was hit by Clark in Sunday’s game, Silverman apparently berated Clark on a private direct line with the cameramen. One problem. One of the Padre players just happened to be listening on an extra headset that was lying by the dugout. When Clark came into the dugout, he was told of the criticism, and proceeded to tell Silverman in the clubhouse that if he hears Silverman calling him “a bleeping bum” again, he might have difficulty even opening his mouth the next time.

Paul Faries, who’s expected to vie for a position next year as a utilityman on the Padres’ 25-man roster, joined the Padres on Monday after being the Most Valuable Player for the triple-A Las Vegas Stars. “I’m not a guy you notice in one day, where you think I’m something special,” Faries said. “You have to watch me for awhile. I don’t have any real strong abilities. I don’t have a real strong arm, or a lot of power, or anything like that. But I play hard, I’m aggressive, and I hustle.” Faries, 25, batted .311 with five homers and 64 RBIs, with 47 stolen bases. He obtained the most hits (172) and stolen bases in the history of the Las Vegas franchise. Although his natural position is second base, he has been playing the past three weeks at shortstop. “I don’t know what my role will be,” Faries said, “but I don’t really care as long as I can stay in the big leagues. Whatever it takes to get here, and whatever it takes to stay here, I’ll do.”

Infielder Joey Cora also made his return to the Padres, after being optioned July 11 to Las Vegas. Cora batted .354 in 50 games at Las Vegas, with zero homers, 23 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. . . . Padre shortstop Garry Templeton received a $25,000 bonus Monday for playing in his 120th game of the season. Templeton now has obtained $75,000 in playing incentives this season, and because he has played at least 100 games, his 1991 base salary was raised from $480,000 to $500,000. . . . What’s the rush guys? The Padre grounds crew, for whatever reason, didn’t chalk the left-field foul line until 20 minutes before game-time. The right-field line, however, was done earlier in the afternoon. “I thought it was going to be like the over-the-line tournament,” one Padre said, “you know, just line it with beer cans and stuff.” . . . Giant outfielder Kevin Bass was recalled, and made the trip to San Diego. Bass has been out since May 27 with knee surgery, and could be in the starting lineup tonight.

Padre reliever Eric Show has pitched 11 1/3 scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 5.57, the lowest it has been since April 27. . . . Fred Lynn, who was in a three-for-39 slump (.077), hit a pinch-hit, two-run single in the sixth. He drove in as many runs with one swing of the bat as he had in the PAdres’ previous 59 games. . . . Tom Romenesko, Padre director/player development, leaves today to catch Spokane’s playoffs games in the Class A Northwest League. Spokane was the Padres’ lone minor-league team to finish above .500 this season. . . . The Giants have used the disabled list 15 times this season, a franchise record, and most in the National League this season. They have missed a total of 809 games this season while on the disabled list. . . . Helen Hudson sung the national anthem Monday, completing the tour of the 26 major league cities. . . . The Padres will conclude their series against the Giants with a 7:35 game tonight. Andy Benes (10-8) and Mike LaCoss (4-3) are the scheduled starting pitchers. The Padres then will open a two-game series beginning Wednesday against the Houston Astros. The scheduled starters: Dennis Rasmussen (8-13) vs. Mike Scott on Wednesday, and Bruce Hurst (8-9) vs. Jim Deshaies (6-11) on Thursday.