McGriff Propels the Padres : Baseball: His grand slam gives pitching-thin Padres a cushion in 8-3 victory over the Dodgers.

Just when the Padres’ problems were mounting Friday, along came Fred McGriff to put a smile on their faces.

McGriff’s grand slam in the seventh inning, which traveled 444 feet, blew open a close game Friday and paced the Padres to an 8-3 victory over the Dodgers in front of 23,971 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

Enjoying the finest opening week of his career, McGriff has hit four home runs, driven in eight runs and is batting .353. Not a bad month, let alone five days.

“When Fred’s on a tear like this,” Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn said, “there’s nobody like him. We just jump on his back and go along for the ride.”

As a Padre, McGriff is three for seven with the bases loaded--all home runs. He hit grand slams on consecutive days Aug. 13 and 14 last season.

McGriff’s heroics soothed nagging concerns about the Padre pitching staff, which has become decimated by injuries once again.

The Padres placed their third pitcher of the season on the disabled list when Mike Maddux became sidelined with a tender right elbow, caused by a flexor strain in his wrist. He was replaced on the roster by Terry Bross, who has pitched only 10 innings in his major-league career.

It could get worse.

Starter Dave Eiland, who looked as if he was on the way to an impressive performance, was forced to leave the game in the fifth inning with a strained rib cage. The Padres were able to survive, but their beleaguered bullpen now has pitched 13 2/3 innings in the past two nights.

“The only good thing you can say what’s happening,” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said, “is that we’re used to it. We went through the same thing last year.”

The Padres can only hope that starter Bruce Hurst provides them a breather tonight with a solid performance, and maybe it will also give them time to savor Eiland’s debut.

Although the Padres were estactic with his pitching performance during his brief stint, Eilad’s bat had the crowd buzzing.

Eileand, who spent the first five years of his career in the New York Yankee organization, stepped to the plate for the first time in his career in the second inning. He battled Dodger starter Bob Ojeda for four pitches and then hit the fifth deep into the left-field seats, becoming the first Padre in franchise history to homer in his first at-bat.

“What can I say? Strange things happen,” said Eiland, who last batted in college. “You always think about somebody hitting a homer in their first at-bat, but I’m running the bases like, ‘Wow, this really happened.’ ”

Eiland also was the first pitcher since Jose Sosa of the Houston Astros in 1975 to homer in his first at-bat, and the 66th player in major league history to accomplish the feat. The last player to hit a homer in his first at-bat also was on the field--Dodger shortstop Jose Offerman on Aug. 19, 1990.

Eiland allowed only four hits and one unearned run in his National League debut, but he was forced to leave the game after Stan Javier’s line drive knocked him to the turf in the fifth inning. He aggravated his injured rib cage on the play, an injury which first incurred in the third inning covering first base.

The Padres had no choice but to go to their bullpen once again. Pat Clements, Jose Melendez (2-0) and Jeremy Herandez combined to allow only one earned run in their five innings of work, and the bullpen now has yielded only three earned runs in 20 2/3 innings this season.

Still, the Padres are leary how long this can continue, particularly with Maddux’s plight.

“It’s been sore off and on all spring,” said Maddux, who pitched in a career-high 64 games last season. “We were hoping we could buy some time before making a move, but after (Wednesday night), it forced our hand.”

The Padres indeed couldn’t take a chance by being a man short for the game after starter Craig Lefferts lasted only one-third of an inning Thursday. Besides, Eiland had started only 27 games in his big-league career and never had recorded a complete game.

“We used so many pitchers,” Padre pitching coach Mike Roarke said, “we didn’t have the luxury of doing that. But even if Mike threw, and felt fine, we would have had qualms. We couldn’t take that chance.”

The Padres are more concerned than they admit, however, simply because this hardly is new for Maddux. He has a history of elbow problems, twice undergoing elbow surgery in the past three years.

“The good news is that there’s no ligament damage,” Maddux siad. “But it’s been frustrating. I thought I was over it, but ever since Las Vegas, I can’t get loose.

“I’m going to shut it down for three or four days, and then we’ll see what happens.”

So meet Bross, who at 6-feet-9 will become the tallest Padre player in history when he comes into a game.

Bross, who played four years for Lou Carnesecca at St. John’s, including their Final Four team in 1985, was acquired March 30 from the New York Mets in exchange for minor-league infielder Craig Bullock.

“When they called me and told me I got traded,” Bross said, “I just burst out laughing. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I just wanted to go somewhere and play ball.

“To tell you the truth, I was more excited to get the call that I was traded than the one (Wednesday night).”

Bross, 26, was in his hotel room in Albuquerque, N.M., Wednesday when the phone rang at 1 a.m. It was triple-A Manager Jim Riggleman, who joked that he was conducting a bed-check. Instead, Bross was going to the big leagues.

In a matter of 11 days, Bross’ travel intinerary read: Port St. Luice, Fla., Yuma, Ariz., Las Vegas, Albuquerque, and San Diego.

“I have no idea where my stuff is,” Bross said. “Everything I own is on a truck, and I have no idea where it is. I have one suitcase to my name, and I don’t know much longer I can keep wearing these same pair of jeans.”

Actually, Bross’ stay may be quite short. Padre right-handed reliever Larry Andersen, who has been on the DL with an inflamed right shoulder, threw without pain in a simulated game Friday and is expected to be activated Sunday.