NOTEBOOK / BOB NIGHTENGALE : PADRES UPDATE : Whitson to Miss at Least One Start With Tendinitis

Padre starter Ed Whitson, who was diagnosed Monday with elbow tendinitis, will miss at least one start, but the Padres are hopeful it will not be necessary to place him on the disabled list.

Whitson will be unable to pitch until June 6, which leaves the Padres in a bind for Friday’s start against the Houston Astros. They are expected to call up Jose Melendez (7-0 at Las Vegas) for that assignment. They appear reluctant to start left-handed reliever Rich Rodriguez, who allowed one run in five innings a week ago in an emergency start.

“We got by last time,” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said, “but it scares me to death to go to the bullpen again.

Whitson, who suffered his first arm injury in his 18-year professional career, said his elbow has been bothering him the past three or four starts. It became aggravated in his April 20 start against the Atlanta Braves when he slipped while fielding a bunt in the ninth inning. He began taking medication, but it never improved.

Yet, Whitson said, he never disclosed his injury to the Padres, who already had eight players on the disabled list.

“Nobody knew anything, I didn’t tell anybody,” Whitson said. The only people who knew about it were me and my wife.

“It scared me yesterday, because I’ve never experienced anything like this. It was like I touched an electric fence.”

Whitson was told by Dr. Jan Fronek, who examined him, that it’s unlikely he’ll have to go on the disabled list. He was instructed not to even pick up a ball for at least three days.

It’s only the third time in Whitson’s career that he has suffered an injury, he said. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in 1983 and had numbness in his fingertips in 1986.

“It was a relief it was only tendinitis,” Whitson said. “It’s a whole lot better to have this than having some ligament problems. Hopefully, everything will be OK.”

And once again, another injury left Riddoch scrambling for starters.

“Another day, another adventure,” Riddoch said. “It’s the exact spot we’ve been in. We’re getting good at it.”

The Padres, preparing for Monday’s June Free Agent draft, worked out shortstop Dimitri Young of Rio Mesa High of Oxnard on Monday afternoon, and came away highly impressed.

Young, who likely will be a third baseman or outfielder in professional baseball, hit four home runs in a round of batting practice, including two in the lower level.

“For a guy 17 years old,” Padre batting coach Merv Rettenmund said, “he was outstanding.”

Young, who was accompanied by his family to San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, has been intensively scouted by Dale Sutherland. The Padres would like to select Young, but they project him to go among the top four picks, possibly with the Yankees’ No. 2 pick.

If the Padres are unable to draft Young, look for them to take right-handed pitcher Kenny Henderson of Ringgold, Ga. They also have high interest in right-handed pitcher Joey Hamilton of Georgia Southern University.

“No matter what happens, I had a great time here,” Young said. “The guys treated me great. I’ll never forget it.”

The Padres treated Young as if he were a teammate, and shortstop Garry Templeton gave him his third baseman’s glove.

Padre right-handed reliever Larry Andersen, after experiencing pain in his neck Saturday, threw 60 pitches Monday without pain, and is expected to come off the disabled list Wednesday or Thursday.

“I hope this (rest) does it, but who knows,” said Andersen, who has been on the disabled list since May 8 with a herniated disc and a bulging disc in his neck. “There’s nothing else for me to do at this point but to go out there, throw it and hopefully get some people out.

“You know, I didn’t even think I’d have to go on the DL, to tell you the truth, but as it looks now, it was the best thing. Because the first two weeks I was on the DL, I couldn’t have even thrown the ball.”

Right-handed pitcher Greg Harris, who has been on the disabled list since April 22 with elbow tendinitis, is expected to throw again Thursday and work his first simulated game Tuesday in Chicago. . . . Eric Nolte, released last week by the Padres and picked up by the Texas Rangers, is a candidate to start Thursday against the Seattle Mariners. The start is necessitated because Ranger starter Scott Chiamparino injured his elbow Saturday, and starter Bobby Witt left Sunday’s game with a sore shoulder. . . . Former Padre Roberto Alomar stopped by the clubhouse before the game, seeing his teammates for the first time since being traded during the winter meetings to Toronto. He traded stories with Padres Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez, who were traded from Toronto. . . . Several Padres had long days Sunday. Besides waking up early for the game, playing, and traveling to San Diego, the trio of Steve Rosenberg, John Costello and Adam Peterson headed back to Las Vegas to collect their belongings. . . . Padre first baseman Phil Stephenson will have a Magnetic Resonance Imaging test performed on his right knee this week. He’s eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list June 6.

Scorecard

FIRST INNING

Braves--Gant led off and homered, his seventh. Pendleton singled to center. Smith walked. Justice flied to center. Heath singled to right, Pendleton scoring, Smith stopping at third, Heath taking second on the throw. Blauser struck out. Bream struck out. Two runs, three hits, two left. Braves 2, Padres 0.

SIXTH INNING

Padres--Fernandez singled to left, taking second on left fielder Smith’s fielding error. Gwynn singled to left, Fernandez stopping at third. Gwynn stole second. McGriff flied to right, Fernandez scoring, Gwynn taking third. Santiago grounded to third. Jackson grounded to shortstop. One run (unearned), two hits, one left. Braves 2, Padres 1.

EIGHTH INNING

Braves--With one out, Blauser reached first on Fernandez’s fielding error. Bream singled to left, Blauser taking third. Belliard sacrificed, Blauser scoring, Bream taking second. Lemke grounded to shortstop. One run (unearned), one hit, one left. Braves 3, Padres 1.