PADRES UPDATE / NOTEBOOK : Stolen Base the Prize of the Day for McGriff Despite Homer, 3 RBIs

Yes, Padre first baseman Fred McGriff homered during Wednesday’s 5-1 victory over Houston.

And, true, he doubled and had three RBIs on the day.

But you should have seen his face light up when someone asked about his stolen base in the fifth.

“Now you want to talk stolen bases,” McGriff said. “OK!”

So someone asked him if he takes special pride in stealing bases.

“Oh yeah, when I can steal a base, that’s it,” McGriff said. “Then I have to check the box score.”

For the record, McGriff stole third, where he was eventually stranded. He said he was given the green light to run. He said he was surprised by that.

But he didn’t say anything about lacking confidence.

“If (Padre Manager Greg) Riddoch would stop holding me up, I’ll be all right,” he said.

McGriff and outfielder Darrin Jackson have a running bet. The one who steals the most bases gets taken out to dinner by the other.

So far, Jackson has five steals and McGriff has four.

Any Little Leaguers attending the game were probably lectured by their coaches afterward not to execute rundowns the Padre way.

In the first inning, starter Craig Lefferts apparently had Craig Biggio picked off first, but the throw went from Lefferts to first baseman Fred McGriff to shortstop Tony Fernandez and back to Lefferts, covering first.

Lefferts dropped the throw, and Biggio returned safely to first.

In the second, it was even more comical--even though the Padres did pick Jeff Bagwell off first. The throw went from Lefferts to McGriff to Fernandez to McGriff--who dropped it--to second baseman Kurt Stillwell to catcher Danny Walters.

Or, it was the old caught stealing play, 1-3-6-3-4-2.

“That was baseball the Padre way,” Riddoch said.

Larry Andersen, making his first appearance since April 27, walked Steve Finley in the ninth and then retired three consecutive Astros.

“I was just trying to guide the ball to Finley,” said Andersen, who had been on an injury rehabilitation assignment to Class-A High Desert. “When I let the ball go like I should, things were real good.”

Was it a good feeling to be back on the mound?

“Against guys in the majors, yeah,” he said.

Greg Harris, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a sore back, threw off the bullpen mound for about 10 minutes.

“I felt good,” Harris said. “It was real slight, but I think I’m right on schedule.”

Harris is hoping to return to the starting rotation Tuesday in Houston.

A postscript: When the Padres made a high school outfielder from Knoxville, Tenn., named Todd Helton their first choice in last week’s amateur draft, Helton, who was in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on a senior trip, spent all day searching for a Padre cap.

He finally found one, but not until about 9:30 that night.

Well, Padre General Manager Joe McIlvaine will be visiting the club’s single-A affiliate in Charleston, S.C., this weekend and early next week, and guess where the team will be from June 15-17? Yep, Myrtle Beach.

“I’m going to check that out personally,” McIlvaine said regarding the shortage of Padre caps there.

Riddoch gave third baseman Gary Sheffield and center fielder Darrin Jackson the day off. Sheffield is still being bothered by a bruised index finger on his right hand. “This gives him two days off in a row,” Riddoch said, referring to today’s off day. . . . Butch Henry struck out Tony Gwynn in the first inning Wednesday. Unusual? It was Gwynn’s first strikeout in 137 at bats. . . . The Padres, who are now only 1 1/2 games out of first place in the NL West, drew a paltry 13,082 to San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium on Wednesday. In other NL West games Wednesday afternoon, San Francisco (playing Cincinnati) drew 19,962 to a ballpark that gets more bad publicity than Geraldo Rivera, and the Dodgers (playing Atlanta) drew 28,241. Can you say, “Apathetic?”