Expos, Fans Provide No Respite for Benes : Baseball: Pitcher is angry after the Padres lose, 3-2. Tony Gwynn leaves the game early with an injury.

After 8 1/3 innings, 132 pitches and a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Expos, an angry, slumping Andy Benes focused on one unusual thing Thursday night.

His eighth inning at bat.

Upset because a good portion of the 13,859 in attendance booed him as he strode to the plate--apparently because they wanted Padre Manager Greg Riddoch to make a change for the ninth with the game tied, 2-2--Benes lashed back.

“I’ll tell you one thing about me,” said Benes, who has won only once since May 22. “I want to win just as bad as anybody in this clubhouse, anybody here watching the game or anybody in the country. I can guarantee you that.

“I had a chance to win that game if I shut them down in the ninth, and I get booed when I bat in the eighth. Maybe people should quit their jobs and get a managerial job. I’m not going to take myself out.”

Benes, who gave up three runs and seven hits but walked five, grew more angry as he talked.

“Am I supposed to go out there for five innings or six innings and say, ‘Well, we’ve scored a couple of runs and I want out of the game?’ ” Benes said. “No. I’m going to bust my (behind).”

“They pay me to throw. I give up two runs in eight innings, and because I’m not winning, I’m some (terrible) pitcher in everybody’s eyes.”

Benes then followed with an expletive that very loosely to: I’ll show them .

He then repeated it before adding: “I guarantee you that I will not ever, ever , quit on the mound. They put me out there and it will be a good effort.”

Nearly lost amid Benes’ outburst was what was probably the Padres’ worst piece of news of the evening: Tony Gwynn left the game after the third inning because of back spasms.

Although a further examination by Dr. Jan Fronek revealed a muscle strain in Gwynn’s lower back that is not believed to be severe, Gwynn was discouraged and in obvious pain.

He received treatment during the game but said the back did not improve. Although the Padres are listing him as day-to-day, Gwynn said he doubts that he will be able to play tonight.

As for the game, Dan Walters tied, 2-2, with a homer in the bottom of the eighth only to see the Padres lose an inning later. Benes’ at bat came two batters after Walters and he struck out.

Then came the ninth. Montreal’s Darren Fletcher led off with a single. After a sacrifice bunt and a walk, Delino DeShields’ double drove home pinch-runner Spike Owen with what proved to be the winning run.

Although the Padres collected two singles in the bottom of the ninth, they could not score. Darrin Jackson’s one-out fly to the left-field wall didn’t change the outcome.

Benes (6-6) said Riddoch asked him if he was tiring before the ninth.

“They asked me how I felt and I felt fine,” Benes said. “You go to bat and people boo you for giving up two runs in eight innings. If I go out every time and give up two runs in eight innings, I’ll win 25 games a year, I guarantee it.”

Benes has won only one of his past eight starts and has not been the winning pitcher since June 17, a 5-0 victory over Houston. In his past three starts, he has a 2,73 ERA but the Padres have lost all three games.

“He was cruising along fine,” Riddoch said. “He pitched good enough to win tonight. In fact, he got better as he went along. Unfortunately, the guy on the other side only gave up three hits.”

That would be Expos starter Mark Gardner (7-6) who actually allowed five hits. But for the most part, Gardner, who caught an earlier flight Wednesday to avoid arriving from Philadelphia at 2 a.m. Thursday with the rest of the Expos, was nearly masterful.

For him, there was only one problem: Of the first three hits he allowed, two were home runs. Fred McGriff hit one in the second and Dan Walters knocked one in the eighth to tie the game, 2-2.

John Wetteland came on in the ninth to collect his 14th save.

The Padres went ahead in the second, 1-0, on McGriff’s homer. It came on a full-count and it traveled almost on a line down the third-base line. A right-handed batter who pulled a pitch couldn’t have pulled it much more.

It was McGriff’s first home run since June 10, and 15th overall.

The lead, however, didn’t last long. Montreal quickly got to Benes in the third.

Delino DeShields beat out a bunt down the third-base line to lead off the inning. Marquis Grissom followed with a single to left, putting runners on first and second.

Up stepped Moises Alou, who rapped Montreal’s third consecutive single--also into left field. DeShields scored and Grissom halted at third.

Benes was able to get the next batter, Larry Walker, to pop to second. After loading the bases with a walk to Tim Wallach, Benes was able to elude further trouble by inducing Bret Barberie to fly to center.

By the sixth, Benes was in trouble again. With one out, he walked Wallach and Barberie. Darren Fletcher followed with a single to center.

Wallach scored and Barberie traveled to third. Although Benes again worked his way out of further trouble, the Padres trailed, 2-1.

Walters’ eighth-inning homer gave the Padres a momentary respite, 2-2, but again, it didn’t last long.

The Expos had Benes figured out.