Padres Lose, But Go East on Up Note

The Padres straightened their ties, slapped on the after-shave, put on their sport coats, and sauntered out of Candlestick Park Wednesday afternoon feeling a bit smug.

Sure, they lost 6-1 to the San Francisco Giants in front of a crowd of 11,491. O.K., the ace of their staff, Ed Whitson, was the losing pitcher. And, yes, their offense was kept to one extra-base hit, a double, marking the eighth time this season that they’ve had fewer than two extra-base hits in a game.

But, man, when you go 10-6 against the creme de le creme of the National League West--not only surviving but thriving during this 16-game stretch against the Giants, Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds--who can blame the Padres for the way they’re feeling?

“I think we all feel pretty good about ourselves,” Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn said. “There’s still a long ways to go, and we have to prove ourselves to a lot more teams, but this has been one great start.

“I don’t think anyone could have expected this.”

The Padres, remember, were supposed to be buried in this 16-game stretch, and put away for the season. Why, facing the three powers of the division, who could blame the prognosticators for saying the Padres would crumble and spend the rest of the season trying to recover?

Now here they are, conquering the best this division has to offer, and anxious to showcase their talents to the NL East beginning Friday with a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Just looking for some respect,” Gwynn said.

The Padres, who have been in sole possession of first place for more days this month than they have in the past five seasons combined, are doing just that.

“I knew they had a good team,” Giant catcher Terry Kennedy said, “just look at all the All-Stars they’ve got. They keep saying, ‘How we need to try this, we need to try that, this will be a rebuilding season for us,’ and I just want to laugh.

“They just talked it up so much in previous years, they thought it was a bad omen to do it this year. I think someone over there told everybody to lay low, and just kick some (rear ends).”

Take a look. The Padres, who have six regulars in the lineup batting at least .296, lead the league with a .277 batting average. They lead the league with eight saves in nine opportunities, and have had four pitchers saving games. And they have gone six consecutive games without committing an error, which would have been reason for a Mardi Gras in the streets of San Diego last year.

“You’ve got to be satisfied,” said Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager. “We’ve done a lot of good things. We haven’t been perfect. But they’ve played with a lot of spirit.”

The Padres have already registered five come-from-behind victories this season, with three in the seventh inning or later. Thursday, however, there was no rally. The way Giant starter John Burkett was pitching, he was mowing down the Padres like it was the beer frame in his neighborhood bowling league.

“It’s a strange feeling letting a bowler beat you,” said Gwynn, well-aware of Burkett’s three 300 games, and aspirations to be a pro bowler.

Burkett (2-1) prevented the bottom four hitters in the Padre lineup from getting a hit. The only time Burkett ran into difficulty was in the fourth inning.

First baseman Fred McGriff led off the inning with a double to left-center. Benito Santiago singled to left, moving McGriff to third. And Mike Aldrete, starting in left field for the first time with the Padres, grounded out to second, allowing McGriff to score the Padres’ first run.

That was the end of the offense. Burkett, mixing his speeds and keeping the Padres off balance, retired 17 of the final 20 batters. Burkett was so dominant that after Santiago’s fourth-inning single, he allowed only five balls out of the infield.

“He shut us down like it was nothing,” said Whitson, who kept the Padres in the game through six innings, but couldn’t escape the seventh.

Whitson, who said that his forearm began to tighten, causing numbness in three fingers, walked No. 8 hitter Jose Uribe to lead off the seventh. It was Whitson’s second unintentional walk of the game, after walking only two batters in the previous 21 1/3 innings. Whitson, a bit flustered, then balked, and Uribe went to second. Burkett then sacrificed Uribe to third.

Whitson was lifted for left-handed reliever Pat Clements, but it was too late to halt the damage. The next four batters reached base, highlighted by Will Clark’s run-scoring double, and the Giants scored three runs.

PADRES AT A GLANCE

FIRST INNING

Giants--Felder led off and singled. Litton grounded to second, Felder stopping at second. Clark walked. Mitchell popped to second. Williams singled to left, Felder scoring, Clark stopping at second. Bass grounded to first. One run, two hits, two left. Giants 1, Padres 0.

FOURTH INNING

Padres--McGriff led off and doubled to left-center. Santiago singled to left, McGriff stopping at third. Aldrete grounded to second, Santiago forced at second, McGriff scoring. Jackson struck out. One run, two hits, one left. Giants 1, Padres 1.

FIFTH INNING

Giants--Kennedy doubled to right-center. Uribe grounded to second, Kennedy stopping at third. Burkett struck out. Whitson threw wild pitch, Kennedy scoring. Felder grounded to shortstop. One run, one hit. Giants 2, Padres 1.

SIXTH INNING

Giants--Litton singled to right. Clark doubled to left-center, Litton stopping at third. Mitchell was intentionally walked, loading the bases. Williams singled to center, Litton scoring, loading the bases. Bass grounded to second, Clark forced at home. Kennedy grounded into double-play. One run, three hits, two left. Giants 3, Padres 1.

SEVENTH INNING

Giants--Uribe led off and walked. Whitson balked, Uribe taking second. Burkett sacrificed, Uribe taking third. Felder reached first on bunt to pitcher. Litton grounded to shortstop, Uribe safe at home, Litton reached first. Clark doubled to right, Felder scoring, Litton stopping at third. Mitchell was intentionally walked. Williams flied to left, Litton scoring. Bass flied to center. Three runs, two hits, two left. Giants 6, Padres 1.