Roberts Delivers Message to Astros : Baseball: Padre’s hitting, fielding allows Hurst to beat Houston, 7-4, for 14th victory this season.

He was running the basepaths Wednesday night like he was possessed. He was hitting the ball like it was sitting on a tee. He was roaming the infield like he was a Gold Glove winner.

The man tortured the Houston Astros all night, leading the Padres to a 7-4 victory in front of 19,305 at the Astrodome. The Padres snapped the Astros’ nine-game winning streak.

Bip Roberts wanted to remind the baseball world that he still is one of the game’s most dangerous leadoff hitters.

Roberts opened the game with a double to left-center, and later scored on Tony Gwynn’s single to center. “I told (Astro center fielder) Gerald Young if he caught the ball, I would have killed him,” Roberts said.

He drew a one-out walk in the sixth inning, and scored on Gwynn’s two-out triple. The Padres, who trailed 3-1 after the third inning, were able to tie the game in the inning when Gwynn then scored on first baseman Jeff Bagwell’s error.

Roberts opened the eighth inning with a single, triggering a four-run inning that blew the game open.

And it was Roberts who ranged far to his left to flag down Craig Biggio’s hard-hit grounder for the final out, getting Padre starter Bruce Hurst his 14th victory this season.

“I’m not going to say, ‘I told you so,’ “Roberts said, “but that’s the way I can play the game. That’s the way I know.”

Roberts, who raised his batting average to .276 with his two hits, emerged from Padre Manager Greg Riddoch’s doghouse to play one of his finest games since the All-Star break.

Roberts and Riddoch were embroiled in a heated dispute Tuesday afternoon in a 15-minute meeting behind closed doors. Roberts was infuriated when he arrived to the Astrodome to find he was not in the lineup. He had left Monday’s game in the fifth inning because of a sprained left wrist, and Riddoch simply decided if his wrist was injured enough to leave early, then he could sit out another game.

“That one threw me for a loop,” Roberts said. “Nobody asked me nothing. That’s what got me.”

This time, Riddoch simply put Roberts in the lineup. Roberts responded with a brilliant performance.

“If you play hard, you deserve respect,” Roberts said, “that’s all I’m asking.”

Some Padres say Roberts’ recent troubles with Riddoch and the coaching staff can be traced to the departure of veteran shortstop Garry Templeton, Roberts’ best friend on the team.

“He hasn’t been the same since,” one Padre said. “Tempy used to talk to Bip all the time, making sure his head’s straight. He made sure Bip played, and when he had problems, it was Tempy who was there for him.”

There’s plenty of evident that supports the theory. Since Templeton was traded May 31 to the New York Mets for infielder Tim Teufel, this is what has transpired:

- Roberts missed seven games with a back injury.

- He missed seven starts with a shoulder injury.

- He left three games early and missed a game with food poisoning.

And even though his batting average has risen slightly, Roberts has been highly erratic, going hitless in 14 of 40 starts.

“Tempy was so good for me,” Roberts said, “he was so good for all of the young guys. But they (Padre management) didn’t realize it. We used to sit in his room after games and just talk baseball. When I was having a tough time, he’d sit and talk with me for hours.

“I’ve got nobody like that now.

“Man, that was a big loss.”

There were times Roberts and Templeton argued. It was just a year ago when they screamed so vehemently at one another that their teammates had to separate them. That was the way Templeton operated.

“I had to get under his skin at times,” Templeton said from New York. “I had to say things publicly, just to embarrass him. I wanted him to fulfill his potential. I was doing it for him, and he knew that.”

Said Roberts: “You can get mad at somebody and still love them. That was the way it was with Tempy. He’d do anything for me, and when he got me mad, it was on purpose.

“I’ll tell you what, I sure wouldn’t be where I am today without the man. He’s helped me more than anyone will know.

“He was the definition of a true friend. He kept working, working and working with me. He used to always tell me, ‘Bip, keep your head in the game. Whatever you do, keep your head in the game.’

“I’ve always had a bad temper. Everybody knows that. I get pushed, and pushed and pushed, until I exploded. That’s what happened (Tuesday).

“But if Tempy had been here, that never would have happened.”

Roberts ignited the Padres’ offense Wednesday. It was Hurst who kept the Astros from equaling their franchise-record winning streak. After the Astros took a 3-1 lead in the third inning, Hurst retired 15 of the next 18 batters, allowing only one baserunner to reach second base until the ninth inning. He now has won his past five starts, and seven of his past eight decisions.

“He’s been unbelievable for us this year,” Riddoch said. “He’s been our one constant on the pitching staff.”

The Padres are 16-7 in which Hurst is the starter. In all other games, they’re 35-49.

“Case closed,” Riddoch said.