Hustle Keeps Dodgers Up to Speed : Baseball: Griffin scores from second on infield single during 4-1 victory over the Padres. Martinez gives up one run in seven innings.

Granted, Ramon Martinez has frustrated many hitters this season. But after what he did to the San Diego Padres’ Benito Santiago in the sixth inning Tuesday, perhaps he should be judged not only on strikeouts, but knockouts.

The temperamental Santiago was so upset after grounding out to Martinez in the Dodgers’ 4-1 victory, he threw a batting helmet that struck Padre Manager Greg Riddoch in the head, momentarily knocking him out.

Riddoch was helped to the clubhouse, where he spent the rest of the game nursing what trainers called a mild concussion.

Once again, what the Padres lack in ability, they certainly make up for in entertainment value.

“Now I’ve seen it all,” said Shawn Abner, Padre outfielder.

After the game, a woozy Riddoch barricaded himself in his office.

An embarrassed Santiago, who has spent this season feuding with Riddoch, mumbled, “My luck.”

Observers said the helmet bounced off the ground, glanced off pitching coach Mike Roarke’s forehead, hit the dugout wall, then struck Riddoch in the temple.

“I turned around to write on the scorecard who was going to be hitting in the next inning, and (the helmet) came flying by me,” said Jimmy Snyder, the Padres’ dugout coach.

Tom Lasorda, Dodger manager, said he has never seen anything like this happen before. But then he explained one reason why.

“Oh sure, I’ve been hit in the head with helmets before, but I ain’t been hurt,” Lasorda said. “A head like mine, you can’t hurt. Maybe I’ve been cut, but I’ve never been knocked out. And man, I’ve been hit in the head with hammers.”

Padre officials did not find it so amusing.

“It was a freak thing, but you certainly can’t stand here and condone people throwing helmets,” said Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager.

It happened on a night when the Dodger batters didn’t even hit a baseball that hard. Before 31,543 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, they manufactured their runs with only four hits and improved their record on this trip to 4-1 with two games remaining here before they return to Dodger Stadium.

Two runs would have been good enough for Martinez, who sealed his spot on next week’s National League All-Star team by holding the Padres to one run and six hits in seven innings.

Martinez is tied for the league lead with 11 victories and ranks among league leaders with a 2.58 earned-run average. As for next Tuesday’s All-Star game in Toronto, there is only one question.

Can he be the starting pitcher, even though he is pitching for the Dodgers against AtlantaSunday?

Common sense say no. Lasorda says no.

But on Tuesday, Martinez said yes.

“Sure, I could start the game,” he said. “I will pitch Sunday, I will have Monday off, and then Tuesday would be my normal day to throw in the bullpen. So I could do that on the mound in the All-Star game.”

Lasorda, emphasizing that he will not tell Cincinnati Red Manager Lou Piniella how to run the All-Star team, said he didn’t understand how Martinez could be strong enough to start.

“I think that would be asking a guy to do too much,” Lasorda said. “What if I put him in the bullpen two days after a start? What do you think would happen to me?

“I tell you what would happen to me. I would get sued.”

Tim Crews threw a scoreless ninth inning for his sixth save, but Martinez’s biggest help came from John Candelaria, a pitcher who has made an equally big impact on the Dodgers this season.

Candelaria took over with a runner on first and none out in the eighth inning. Major league hitting leader Tony Gwynn then grounded out and powerful Fred McGriff hit into an inning-ending double-play grounder.

Candelaria has inherited 32 runners this season, but only six have scored. Since May 17, the 19 first-batters faced by Candelaria have combined for one hit.

Although Riddoch missed the Dodgers’ late heroics, he saw enough in the early going to frustrate him.

The Dodgers set the tone with a second-inning run on the type of hustling play that seemed to happen throughout the 1988 World Series championship season.

With Alfredo Griffin on second base after a walk and a bunt by Martinez, Brett Butler hit a slow grounder to shortstop Tony Fernandez.

By the time Fernandez picked it up and threw to first baseman McGriff, Butler was already crossing the bag. He was safe. But that was the least of the Padres’ worries.

There was Griffin rounding third, and he never stopped running. He scored after a hurried throw by McGriff.

As if Griffin’s run wasn’t embarrassing enough for the Padres, the Dodgers had already scored in the first inning on two walks, a grounder and a double.

The Dodgers added their fourth run in the eighth inning on a walk, a hustling infield single by Stan Javier on a grounder to McGriff, and a fly ball by Murray.