Roberts Puts on a Show for His Father <i> and</i> Padres : Baseball: Second baseman gets two hits and sparkles afield in Padres’ 7-6 victory over San Francisco.

Padre second baseman Bip Roberts didn’t tell a soul. There were no TV cameras. No reporters. Not even his teammates knew.

This was a special moment in his life, and Roberts wasn’t going to share this with anyone. His father, Leon Roberts Sr., was watching him play for the first time in five years. He was determined to make him the proudest father in all the world.

Roberts, making up for lost time with his father, once again put on a show Tuesday night in the Padres’ 7-6 victory over the Giants, letting his family, among the crowd of 12,436, at Candlestick Park know that everything’s going to be all right.

Igniting the Padre offense, Roberts led off the game with a single that sparked a four-run inning; hit a run-scoring triple in the sixth that turned out to be the winning run; and made a diving catch in the eighth inning.

“You know something,” Roberts said, “I feel better than I have in my life. My dad’s doing great. My family’s fine. And I’m at peace.

“Man, I can’t tell you how good that makes me feel.”

Roberts, starting at second base this season for the first time in five years, is as responsible as anyone for the Padres’ shocking start.

This is a club that was predicted to finish no higher than fourth place, and here they are, sitting atop the National League West with a 10-5 record. This is the latest they’ve been in first place since July 12, 1985.

“That’s a good ballclub, don’t let anyone fool you,” Giant Manager Roger Craig said. “But the key to that ballclub is Bip Roberts. He’s made himself into a hell of a player. He’s probably the best leadoff hitter in the game.”

Said Roberts: “That means something special, man. You feel pretty good when someone like him says something like that about you. Wow.”

Roberts, whose father currently resides in the Delancey Street Foundation, a drug-rehabilitation facility for hard-core addicts, saw his father late Monday night and Tuesday.

They talked.

They laughed.

They hugged.

They cried.

“It was special to me,” Roberts said. “I’ll never forget it as long as I live. I know my dad’s all right. And man, now he’s got to see me play.”

It also proved to be a night Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn will long remember. Gwynn, off to one of the finest starts of his nine-year career, hit a two-run triple in the first.

It was the 64th triple of Gwynn’s career, surpassing Gene Richards as the Padres’ career leader. Gwynn also is the Padre career leader in batting average, hits, runs and doubles.

The only April in his career he ever has batted higher was in 1984 when he hit .434. His 11 RBIs already are a career-high for the month of April. And, yes, this is the most fun he ever has had in April.

“I’m having such a great time, I can’t believe it,” Gwynn said. “You know it’s funny. My ribs are sore. My elbow’s killing me. And my finger’s swollen. And I can’t wait to play each day.

“Greg (Riddoch) keeps asking me if I want a day off, and I keep saying, ‘No.’ I want to play. I can’t stand sitting around. What do I want to sit around for? These guys are paying me big money, and I want to play.”

Who wouldn’t want to join the Padres’ magical caravan?

The Padres threatened to break this game open before most of crowd had even walked through the turnstiles. In a matter of nine pitches, the Padres had a 4-0 lead, and they had bullied yet another Giant starting pitcher.

Roberts opened the game with a single to left. Tony Fernandez walked. And Gwynn, not about to let Giant starter Scott Garrelts gather his composure, lined his record-setting triple into right field, scoring two runs.

Fred McGriff, the man whom the Padres believe will eventually set the Padre home run record, hit the next pitch into the right-field seats for his second homer of the year. It was his first homer in 44 at-bats, and the first hit by an opponent in eight games at Candlestick this season.

The Padres had four runs on the board, and still there were no outs.

Craig came to the mound, said a few choice words that appeared to calm Garrelts. He promptly retired the next three batters. He ran into trouble again in the third when Benito Santiago drove in a run with the third hit of the inning, and that was all Craig could tolerate.

He brought in Don Robinson, who for a time gave the Padres absolute fits. He retired the first seven batters he faced, but then ran into trouble in the sixth.

After Paul Faries grounded out, Shawn Abner singled to left. Eric Nolte then laid down a bunt in front of the plate. Giant catcher Steve Decker, attempting to throw out Abner at second, instead let this throw sail into center field, allowing Abner to third.

Decker, the same guy who allowed two passed balls and committed an error in Monday’s defeat, continued his horror show. He allowed Robinson’s next pitch to trickle through his legs, and Abner scored.

Roberts then triple off the right-center field fence, scoring Padre starter Eric Nolte from second for a 7-4 Giants lead. Robinson left the game with a sprained left ankle, and Trevor Wilson was called in to prevent further damage control by retiring Fernandez and Gwynn.

Meanwhile, Nolte was pitching just good enough to remain in the game. He allowed Kevin Mitchell’s seventh homer of the year in the second inning, a two-run homer by Will Clark in the third inning, and another run on a groundout by Clark in the fifth inning.

The Padres still clung to a 7-4 lead when Nolte left the game after 5 1/3 innings, with runners on first and second and one out. Wes Gardner came into the game, carrying along his 14.54 ERA, and induced a double-play groundout, ending the inning.

That would the last of his heroics. In the seventh, pinch-hitter Mike Kingery led off with a single to center. Robby Thompson followed with a single to right. And Mike Felder walked on four pitches.

Out went Gardner. In came left-handed reliever Rich Rodriguez. And striding to the plate, with none out and the bases loaded, was Will Clark.

Rodriguez, who believes he has been in more precarious situations in his career, but at the moment, couldn’t think of one, took a deep breath and prepared himself for the heart of the Giants’ order.