Benes Sharp in His Spring Finale

Andy Benes has had better springs.

You hear all about the relaxed atmosphere at spring training, about warm sunshine and lazy days and high hopes.

Benes had lower abdominal surgery. Then he and the Padres became embroiled in a contract dispute that got ugly before it got better.

But Benes, in just his third “A” game of the spring, shut down the Seattle Mariners Friday night, allowing no runs and only three hits in five innings. In the Padres’ 8-7 victory over the Seattle Mariners, Benes lowered his spring earned-run average to 0.64.

In the game, reliever Randy Myers’ ERA went the other direction; he gave up an opposite-field grand slam to Tino Martinez in a five-run ninth inning. Gary Sheffield’s three-run homer in the ninth tied the game, and Thomas Howard’s RBI single won it.

That did little to detract from Benes’ effort. “It’s good to end on something positive going into the season,” he said.

Something positive? This spring, he allowed only one earned run and eight hits in 14 innings. He also only walked one batter--none Friday. And, he struck out Kevin Mitchell three times Friday.

“If I’m aggressive, I can get away with pitches,” said Benes, who finished last season with 11 victories in his last 12 decisions. “If I’m aggressive and make a bad pitch, there’s a good chance (the batter) is going to miss it. . . .

“That was the biggest difference for me from the first half to the second half last year.”

Catcher Tom Lampkin cleared waivers Friday and will be outrighted to triple-A Las Vegas, meaning that the Padres will begin the season with Benito Santiago and Dann Bilardello.

Unless a sudden trade occurs.

Sources in both San Diego and Atlanta confirmed that Brave pitcher Kent Mercker has been mentioned in the Benito Santiago trade talks, and one source also said that Atlanta minor league pitcher Matt Murray, a 6-foot-6 left-hander, has been discussed.

“I don’t anticipate anything happening, but it could,” said Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager.

McIlvaine said that the Bilardello-Lampkin decision came down to the fact that the Padres are more comfortable with Bilardello in the reserve role.

“They both are out of options,” McIlvaine said. “If Benito is here, Dann Bilardello is a little better player coming off of the bench every one or two weeks.

“If we need an everyday player, Tom Lampkin might be better.”

The happiest guy through all of this is Bilardello, 32. Since 1978, his rookie season in pro ball, he has spent only one entire summer in the major leagues--in 1983, with Cincinnati.

The Padres open Monday in Cincinnati.

“It was one of my goals this year,” Bilardello said. “I looked at the schedule and saw they opened in Cincinnati, and deep down I had the feeling that I wanted to be there on opening day. That’s one thing I was striving for.

“I bet if you asked half of those people (in Cincinnati) if they thought I would be there with San Diego on opening day 1992, they would have laughed at you.”

Padre Notes

Las Vegas native Mike Maddux, who was the Padres’ biggest Cinderella story a year ago when he made their team, was doing a live television interview before Friday’s game when someone suddenly smashed a cream pie in his face. The culprit? Larry Andersen, who else?