Padres Take 10 to Take Game From Dodgers : Baseball: Fernandez sparks 3-2 decision, and Melendez earns third victory.

Maybe Tony Fernandez wasn’t too crazy about this gig when he first heard the news, but the way he pestered the Dodgers all night Saturday, he indeed has proven he can play the role of a leadoff hitter.

His arms stretched out, belly on the ground and dust in his face, Fernandez slid head-first across home plate in the 10th inning, sparking the Padres to a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Dodgers in front of 31,155 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

“It looked like he was doing the breaststroke,” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said. “He ran out of breath.”

Maybe other leadoff hitters would have jumped up and down and threw their fists into the air, but Fernandez simply dusted himself off, shook a few hands and quietly went to the clubhouse.

If the Padres want him to be a leadoff hitter, he’ll do it his way, thank you.

Fernandez opened the 10th inning by drawing a leadoff walk from Dodger reliever Roger McDowell. He went back and forth on the basepaths, trying to break McDowell’s concentration. Tony Gwynn made him pay the price by hitting a 3-and-2 pitch into center field, and Fernandez didn’t stop running until reaching third.

The Dodgers, with no choice, had to bring in the infield and outfield. Gary Sheffield, knowing he had only to hit the ball out of the infield, hit a routine fly ball to center fielder Brett Butler. He backpedaled and caught the ball, but he was too deep to have a play on Fernandez.

“I just wanted to get the ball up,” Sheffield said. “In a situation like that, I almost had to drive a run in when I was in Milwaukee. But with Fred (McGriff) batting behind me, I didn’t press for an RBI. I just let it happen.”

Has he now completely purged the memory of Milwaukee from his mind?

“It’s just like a new girlfriend,” Sheffield said, laughing.

The victory, which gave the Padres (4-2) the best record in the National League West, would not have been possible without their bullpen corps. Randy Myers pitched two shutout innings, and Jose Melendez (3-0) pitched the final inning to become the first pitcher in the major leagues to win three games.

The Padres also are convinced they have found the man they want to be their leadoff hitter.

“In this league, I’d rather bat first than second,” Fernandez said, “because the No. 9 hitter is the pitcher. It’s likely the pitcher is going to be bunting, and I like batting with runners in scoring position.”

Fernandez, who scored two runs and went two for four, was instrumental in the Padres’ entire offensive output. He was the man who led them back from their 2-0 deficit in the sixth inning.

Fernandez, in fact, was a bit amused how it happened--the Dodgers found out first-hand about the stadium’s new turf in the sixth inning.

With one out, he started the rally by hitting a sharp single to left. Eric Davis ran over to cut off the ball, but the ball, moving quicker than he anticipated, caromed off his glove, allowing Fernandez to reach second.

Gwynn followed with another single to right, but it was hit too sharply for the Padres to test the arm of right fielder Darryl Strawberry. That brought up Sheffield, who had hit the ball hard twice in his first two at-bats, with nothing to show for it.

This time, he hit a sharp ground ball to shortstop Jose Offerman. Oops, it was moving a little quicker than he thought; the ball bounced off his glove and rolled into shallow center. Fernandez scored and Gwynn went to third.

McGriff, who has hit four home runs in the first week, stepped up and hit a hopper to second baseman Juan Samuel. Samuel threw to second for one out, but Sheffield slid hard into Offerman, and his off-balance throw to first was too late.

“This new infield is very fast, and very hard,” Fernandez said. “I tell you what, it’s faster than any grass I’ve played on. It’s even quicker than artificial turf.

“I don’t want to sound like I’m always complaining, but it’s just too fast.”

Said third baseman Sheffield: “You’re not kidding. If you don’t act fast on this stuff, you’ll get killed.”

The Dodgers, however, were equally tormented in the plate, floundering in critical situations. It’s become a nasty theme for the Dodgers this season, who are batting .195 with runners on base, with only one extra-base hit.

They had chances in the sixth, eighth and ninth innings to break the game open, but squandered opportunities each time.

In the sixth, Samuel flied to center, stranding two runners. In the eighth, with runners on first and second, Davis flied to center. And in the ninth, in the same situation, Butler struck out.

Of course, the Padres didn’t fare much better in the clutch, failing in eight of nine opportunities with runners in scoring position.

The Padres took their turn at the victory in the bottom of the eighth when they put runners on first and third with two out, and Benito Santiago at the plate.

Santiago, who had his first hit of the season in the second inning, took the first two pitches for balls. Dodger pitcher Jim Gott, knowing he couldn’t afford to go to a 3-0 count, came in with a pitch over the plate.

Santiago swung, and hit a lazy fly to right field, ending the inning and bringing out a loud chorus of boos from the fans.

The Padres threatened again in the ninth when Tim Teufel, making his first start of the season, drew a two-out walk and stole second off McDowell. Kurt Stillwell, pinch-hitting for Myers, flied out to left.

Davis broke open a scoreless game in the fifth by hitting a leadoff homer, his second in two nights, off Bruce Hurst.

In the sixth, he haunted the Padres again. Butler walked and was sacrificed to second by Mike Sharperson. Eric Karros singled to right, but the Dodgers held Butler at third. Strawberry struck out on three pitches, bringing up Davis.

Davis ripped the second pitch down the third-base line. It went over the third-base bag before being knocked down by Sheffield, too late to stop a run from scoring.

Davis could have been the hero in the eighth inning when he faced Myers, his former Reds teammate, with runners on first and second. This time he hit a towering fly ball to center fielder Darrin Jackson, ending the threat.