PADRES : Reliever Brian Holton Among 7 Cut by Padres

Brian Holton, who only two years ago considered himself one of the finest middle relievers in baseball, spent Friday afternoon searching for a job after being released by the Padres.

Holton, who was 7-3 with a league-low 1.70 ERA in 1988 with the Dodgers, never was able to prove to the Padres that he belonged in the big leagues. Although his stats hardly were atrocious--six innings, four hits, three earned runs and two walks--the Padres considered his fastball to be below-average and his breaking pitches to be ordinary.

He looked exactly like the guy who struggled in Baltimore each of the past two seasons, compiling a 7-10 record and 4.18 ERA. Even after being sent to triple-A last season, he went 1-4 with a 9.19 ERA for Rochester, never showing any signs of improvement.

“He just wasn’t what we were looking for,” said Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager.

Holton was one of seven players who were cut from the Padres’ major-league camp Friday morning, but the only one released from the organization.

Outfielder Oscar Azocar, who was batting .091 this spring, was assigned to the Padres’ triple-A club in Las Vegas. First baseman Kevin Garner (.250) and third baseman Tom Redington (.333) were assigned to the Padres’ double-A team in Wichita.

Catchers Mike Basso and Chris Jelic, and pitchers Tim Scott and Terry Gilmore, all of whom are non-roster players, were designated for assignment.

The moves, which leaves the Padres with 41 players in camp, helps clear the picture in the derby for right-handed relievers and catchers. Wes Gardner, John Costello, Mike Dunne, Jeremy Hernandez and Calvin Schiraldi are the remaining right-handed relievers competing for one or two jobs in the bullpen. The catchers still vying to be Benito Santiago’s backup are Tom Lampkin, Brian Dorsett and Dann Bilardello.

“They’re all wide-open right now,” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said. “These next two weeks should decide a lot.”

Padre reliever Larry Andersen on pressure: “You’re looking at 20 years of pressure, it’s not a pretty sight. People who say they thrive on a bases-loaded situation, with a one-run lead, I’ll tell you those people are mentally deranged. Why in the world would you want that?

“Why in the world would I want to be in that situation, rather than be in the game with a 10-run lead, two outs, nobody on, and two strikes on the hitter. That’s a much better situation to be in, isn’t it?”

Padre Notes

On their day off Friday, the Padres made the trip back from the Phoenix area to Yuma with few complications. The biggest trouble? Two of the players were stopped for speeding. . . . Padre starter Ed Whitson pitched in an intrasquad game Friday with triple-A and double-A players, allowing only one run in six innings. . . . Tom Romenesko, who was fired last fall as the Padre farm director, landed a job with the commissioner’s office to work as a liaison with the minor leagues. . . . The Padres will open a nine-game homestand in Yuma beginning at 7:05 tonight against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Padres’ Bruce Hurst and the Brewers’ Jaime Navarro are the scheduled starters. . . . Just how bad has the Brewer pitching staff been this spring? Their pitchers entered Friday’s game yielding a .360 batting average.