Padres Get Together on Offense in 4-1 Victory

The clubhouse doors were slammed shut Wednesday after batting practice. No visitors were allowed. Padre Manager Greg Riddoch decided it was time for their first team meeting since spring training.

There have been signs of late that the Padres have been giving up on the season, with several players showing a disregard for team rules. Riddoch decided that it was time to change some attitudes.

No one knows if the meeting will have a lasting influence, but it worked for at least a night, resulting in the Padres’ 4-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants in front of 17,199 fans at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

“There’s no sense in quitting now,” Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn said. “There’s no sense in giving up just because we’re seven games out. People are going to say the Padres lack this, they lack that, but we’ve gotten to this point with basically the same team we’ve had since spring training.

“I’ll take my chance with the 25 guys we’ve got.”

Hmm, so the team meeting proved to be quite beneficial?

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Gwynn said.

Although Riddoch told reporters the meeting’s purpose was to direct the team’s focus these last two months of the season, at least three Padre players said Riddoch mostly was critical of players’ disregard for team rules.

The meeting actually was precipitated by catcher Benito Santiago’s tardiness Wednesday, which was only one of the latest violations of team rules. Several players have been strolling in later than required, and too often pitchers have been found in the clubhouse during games instead of staying in the dugout.

Perhaps most disturbing is that the Padres have not even tried to hide their rule violations because there have been few fines levied. It’s unknown whether Santiago will be fined, but Riddoch made it clear he was unhappy with Santiago’s late arrival.

“I just told him to be on time,” Riddoch said of his individual meeting with Santiago. “If you want to play, be on time.”

Santiago, a bit disturbed that he was singled out, said: “Why is he giving me a hard time? It was only a couple of minutes, I don’t know what the big deal was. I didn’t miss my (hitting) group.”

Riddoch, however, insists that the most important aspect of the meeting was to ensure that the Padres don’t lay down these last two months. Stranger things have happened in pennant races.

“I want to make sure we stay focused,” Riddoch said. “I told them, ‘Reach back and do everything you can do to help yourself. Be as good as you can be.’ ”

Riddoch might have stolen the U.S. Army’s slogan, but no one can argue that the Padres didn’t maximize their offense Wednesday.

They set up their game-tying run in the game in the sixth inning on a two-out passed ball, and broke open the game with a three-run eighth inning set up on two harmless bunts.

The score tied at 1-1, Tony Fernandez led off the eighth with a swinging bunt toward shortstop Mike Benjamin. Benjamin charged the ball, tried to make a one-handed grab, and the ball rolled past him. Fernandez not only was safe at first, but reached second when the ball sat in the outfield grass.

That brought up Gwynn, who was hitless in his first three at-bats. Riddoch let him do whatever he wanted to do. He could hit the ball to the right side, employ a hit-and-run or bunt.

“We just told him he needed to get the runner over, one way or the other,” Riddoch said. “Tony said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll get him over.’ ”

Gwynn: “I’ve been brutal swinging the bat, so the choice was easy. I had to bunt.”

Gwynn took one pitch, and fouled off another trying to bunt. Giant reliever Jeff Brantley, believing Gwynn was decoying, looked as surprised as anyone when Gwynn bunted again.

It was perfect, bouncing off the dirt, to the left side of the mound. Brantley never had a chance. Fernandez was safe at third. Gwynn was safe at first.

“I really didn’t think it was going to be that good of a bunt,” Gwynn said, “but when I was running down the line I was saying, ‘I could get a hit. I could get a hit. Oh my God, I got a hit.’ ”

The Giants, forced to play a drawn-in infield, helplessly watched Gary Sheffield slap a run-scoring single into right field. After Fred McGriff struck out, Darrin Jackson iced the game with a two-run double, providing him with a career-high equaling 49 RBIs.

Tim Scott (4-1), who relieved starter Bruce Hurst at the start of the eighth, got in trouble in the ninth when he allowed consecutive singles to Cory Snyder and Mark Bailey. No problem. Riddoch called upon Randy Myers, and two batters later, the game was over.

It was Myers’ ninth consecutive save, giving him 22 for the season. He now has gone a season-high 10 1/3 innings without yielding a run.

The victory allowed the Padres (58-51) to remain seven games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves, and pick up a game to move within 4 1/2 games of the second-place Cincinnati Reds.

Of course, it might have been a whole different story if not for Giant catcher Craig Colbert’s sixth passed ball of the season in the sixth inning, and his third on a strikeout.

Giant starter Francisco Oliveras, breezing through the Padre lineup, opened the sixth inning by inducing a bouncer to the mound by Tony Fernandez and striking out Gwynn. Next up was Sheffield. No problem. Oliveras struck him out too.

The only flaw was that Colbert failed to hang onto the ball, allowing it to skirt past him to the backstop. Sheffield ran to first, and it was too late for Colbert to make a throw.

It was Colbert’s second passed ball in two nights.

By comparison, Santiago has not allowed a passed ball this season.

It proved to be a critical mistake. Fred McGriff smacked a line drive off the right-field fence. Bass mistimed his jump, but threw the ball in quickly to cutoff man Robby Thompson. But instead of having a play at the plate, Thompson dropped the ball, allowing Sheffield to cross the plate standing.

Yes, it was that kind of night.

“We’ll take it,” Gwynn said.