NOTEBOOK : PADRES UPDATE : Andersen Finds Encouragement in Pain-Free Friday Morning

Padre reliever Larry Andersen, in what he believes is the most encouraging sign since the start of the season, awoke Friday morning with absolutely no pain in his neck.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Andersen, who has begun pitching again after a two-week layoff. “I was a little skeptical to wake up (Friday) morning. I was afraid to go to sleep really.

“But when I woke up, there was maybe a little stiffness, but there certainly wasn’t any soreness. Really, it feels like it’s 100%.”

The Padre front office, ecstatic with Andersen’s recovery from what was diagnosed as a herniated and bulging disc, is expected to activate Andersen in the middle of next week.

“I told him we wanted him to pitch for at least five to seven days,” said Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager. “But it’s looking real good right now.”

The day also marked the homecoming for Andersen, who had spent his past five years with the Astros before being traded to the Boston Red Sox last August. It was a bittersweet feeling, he said. It was special coming back, he said, but also disheartening since most of his veteran teammates also had been traded.

“I’ve played with so many guys now, I can’t even keep track,” Andersen said. “But I do know I’ve played so long the Equitable Old-Timers’ (Committee) keeps sending me things.”

The Padres called off mandatory batting practice Friday, trying to recover from Thursday night’s grueling, 11-10, 12-inning victory over Atlanta. The team didn’t arrive at their hotel until 5 a.m. “You know, I hate to say it,” said McIlvaine, “but I saw it coming in the second inning. I just knew it was going to be one of those nights. I just kept thinking back to that game we had in ‘85, and I was saying, ‘I know this is a strange game, but please let it be done before 4 a.m.’ ” It was in 1985 that the Mets beat the Braves in 19 innings, the game ending at 4 in the morning. “That’s still the strangest game I’ve seen,” McIlvaine said. . . . If the Padres’ game had lasted at least another inning, Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said Darrin Jackson would have been the next pitcher. . . . Padre pitcher Adam Peterson, on his wild pitch on the intentional walk Thursday: “You know, I was just trying to lob it up there, and it just got away. It was unbelievable. Next time, I’m just going to throw it up there like a regular pitch. That’s the last time that’ll happen.” . . . McIlvaine, on the recent rash of clubs hiring within their organization for managerial replacements: “This is wonderful. I’ve always believed You’ve got to develop your own people. I’ve always believed that, not just for players, but managers, coaches and front-office people.” . . . Padre catcher Benito Santiago was the envy of the clubhouse before the game, donning an Operation Desert Storm cap, brought back from a buddy in the war.