Hurst Defeats Cubs; Myers Loses His Role : Baseball: Reliever no longer is the main stopper on the team. Riddoch will have a bullpen by committee.

It was a painful admission by the Padres. They never envisioned this day would come, certainly not this early in the season.

The Padres, saying they had no choice if they were to remain contenders, decided Wednesday to relieve Randy Myers of his role as bullpen stopper. The team will have a bullpen by committee until further notice.

The decision did not affect Wednesday’s game. Starter Bruce Hurst pitched a complete game as the Padres defeated the Chicago Cubs, 5-1. It was Hurst’s first career victory against the Cubs, and his third complete-game in the last five starts.

Yet, the effect of the decision is much more far-reaching.

Not only are the Padres conceding that they might have made a mistake on Myers, but also that his future with the team could end after the season. Myers, eligible for free agency, may not return even if invited.

“They brought me over here to save games,” Myers said, “that’s all. They didn’t say to worry about my ERA. They didn’t say to worry about the hits. They didn’t say to worry about the walks.

“I thought I’ve been doing my job, doing exactly what they wanted when they traded for me.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t get it.”

Myers says his performance this season has been just fine. He has 13 saves this season, second only to Lee Smith of the St. Louis Cardinals. And although he has blown four saves--along with a four-run lead in a non-save situation--every reliever in the league with a minimum of 10 saves has blown at least three.

“I’ve been getting my saves,” Myers said, “I’ve just looked ugly doing it.”

Myers’ struggles this season--a 6.00 ERA, and .314 batting average--have been most offensive the last three weeks. He he has four saves in six opportunities since May 16, but he also has a 10.57 ERA.

Myers has been erratic virtually the entire season.

“We’re making a change because he’s not doing the job,” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said, “it’s that simple. No one can dispute that. Just look at the numbers.

“We’ve had inconsistencies in our starting pitching. We’ve had our problems with the No. 5 starter. But our stopper has been the most disappointing part of our whole pitching staff.”

Riddoch doesn’t plan to abandon Myers, who now will share the closer’s role with Jose Melendez, Mike Maddux, Rich Rodriguez, and when healthy, Larry Andersen. The only pitcher in the group who has saved more than 10 games in their entire career is Andersen.

“If somebody’s doing a good job, and they leave him out there, I have no problem with that,” Myers said. “But to say I’m not doing my job is wrong. I think I’ve done my job, and the job I was told to do.

“My job is saving games. When they look to see how you’re doing, they say, ‘How many?’ They don’t say, ‘How.’

“If they wanted me to worry about all the things other than saving games, they should have told me.”

The only opinion that Myers and Riddoch shared in their private meeting Wednesday was that Myers is most effective in critical situations.

“I agree with that,” Myers said. “It’s not that I don’t like to pitch with three-run leads, but I am better in pressure situations. Maybe we’ll just try that, and see what happens.”

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the decision was respecting the sensitivities of Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager. McIlvaine engineered the trade that sent leadoff hitter Bip Roberts to Cincinnati for Myers.

“I have no problem with the decision, none at all,” McIlvaine said. “They can utilize him how they want. I just think it’s a situation similar to (starter) Andy Benes’ of a year ago, when he had a poor first half and a great second half. It can change.

“He’s second in saves, so he’s doing something right. The velocity is still there. I just think he’s been relying too much on the outside fastball, and hitters are sitting on it. He has to throw more inside.”

Perhaps Hurst (5-4) best exemplifies how someone’s fate can turn suddenly. Opening the season with a 1-3 record and 4.81 ERA in his first seven starts, he since is 4-1 with a 1.92 ERA in his last five starts.

Hurst, winless in his previous five career starts against the Cubs, retired 22 of the last 25 batters he faced without allowing a runner to second. It was his second consecutive game in which he has not allowed a walk.

“It was the best curveball I’d have in awhile,” Hurst said, “and it was the most curves I’ve thrown this season. I must have thrown five of six of them on 3-and-2 counts.”

While Hurst allowed only six hits the entire game, the Cubs’ pitching staff had nearly as many wild pitches (four). The Padres tied the game 1-1 in the third inning on consecutive wild pitches. And in the seventh, scored two runs on a passed ball.

“We just needed a win, I don’t care how we got it,” said Gwynn, who was hitless in four at-bats. “It was ugly, but we’ll take it.”

The Padres (29-24) kept to within one game of the division-leading Reds with the victory, and will open a six-game home stand Friday against the defending National League champion Atlanta Braves.

“I think we’re going to be all right,” Riddoch said. “I think this bullpen by committee will work. If you try to make everybody happy, you end up making nobody happy.

“I just want to win games.”