PADRES UPDATE : NOTEBOOK / BOB NIGHTENGALE : Stillwell’s Offense Healthy Although His Body Is Hurting

Padre second baseman Kurt Stillwell’s has required treatment in the trainer’s room before and after each game, but his spirit and morale are healing.

After a five-week stretch over which he hit .137, Stillwell had a double and triple Sunday in the Padres’ 9-3 romp over the Montreal Expos. In his last seven at-bats, he has one double, two triples and a homer.

“This is as bad as I’ve ever felt (physically),” Stillwell said, “and look what’s happened. I mean, I was hurting (Saturday). My whole body’s sore. It was a battle just to get through the game, and it was one of my best games.”

Stillwell has missed nearly 20 games this season because of an assortment of injuries. He barely could walk during the All-Star break, he said, after fouling a ball off his foot. That doesn’t even count the bruises on the right side of his body from his collision with shortstop Tony Fernandez.

“I’ve been sorely tested, that’s for sure,” Stillwell said. “But the way I look at it, I’ve been lucky. I’ve been dodging serious injuries all year.

“The only thing is, instead of icing down just one part of me after games, I’ve been having to ice down my whole body.”

The Padres have decided to start Jim Deshaies tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies instead of Dave Eiland.

The Padres examined Eiland on Sunday after he ran sprints before the game and determined his right ankle is still tender. Eiland will remain on the disabled list for at least another six days.

“I feel I can pitch, no question about it,” Eiland said, “but they want to be cautious. I don’t feel it when I pitch, but when I push off the mound it grabs me a little bit.”

Padre All-Star catcher Benito Santiago was given the day off, much to his dissatisfaction, and rookie Dan Walters started. It was Walter’s first start since Santiago’s return July 11 from the disabled list.

Santiago could have stayed in the lineup, of course, but he declined the Padres’ request to play left field. “It was a tough day just sitting there,” he said.

Said Walters, who hit a home run in the eighth and is batting .275 since coming to the big leagues six weeks ago: “It doesn’t matter to me. I don’t dwell on not playing. Whatever their decision is, I’m happy with. I’m a student of the game, so if I’m sitting, I’ll just sit and learn.”