Chicago Leaves Harris in Daze : Baseball: Padre starter cannot believe his luck after losing, 6-3, to the Cubs.

Starter Greg Harris tried to search for the right words Monday night after the Padres’ 6-3 defeat to the Chicago Cubs. He was hoping to come up with something that would at least soften the pain.

It was of no use. This has been a season filled with horrifying luck. Nothing would change on this night.

“Just when I think I get things going again,” Harris said softly, “something like this happens. It hurts man, it’s been a tough season.

“I guess that’s why this is such a great game, because it will humiliate you in a heartbeat. And it really did in that one inning.”

In what was supposed to be a celebratory homecoming for Harris turned into disaster in front of the partisan crowd of 13,491 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. The Cubs shelled Harris for five hits and a season-high six runs in the third inning. Once again Harris was left cursing his fate.

“The biggest thing I wanted to do was keep the team in the game,” Harris said, “but I didn’t even give us a chance to win. I pitched terrible, man. Really, it’s been an unbelievable six months. I don’t even want to look back on this year.

“I hope and pray it will build character, because I’ve sure been in enough situations that build character.”

It started in spring training. There was the day Harris gave up 10 runs in one inning to the San Francisco Giants, and the time he returned home one weekend to find a broken pipe had flooded his condominum.

When the season started, two victories were lost when Randy Myers blew saves. Then came the back troubles, and a stint on the disabled list. He returned only to to break his finger while trying to bunt.

He was activated Saturday, got into a car wreck Sunday, and wondered what in the world else could go wrong before taking the mound Monday night.

He found out as soon as he arrived to the clubhouse and learned right fielder Tony Gwynn was not in the lineup. Gwynn was at Scripps Clinic undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging test, which revealed that he has a strained flexor muscle of his left forearm. The elbow ligament, however, was not damaged.

“I should have been in there today,” Gwynn said, “but with $12 million on the line (the next three years), they wanted me to get it checked out.

“I’ll be in there (today).”

Not even Gwynn could have rescued Harris (2-5) in the third inning.

Although his fastball didn’t have the same velocity the Cubs remembered, Harris cruised through the first two innings. Derrick May was the only player to even hit the ball out of the in field.

Then came the third inning, and typical of Harris’ season, everything unraveled. By the time the inning ended, the Cubs had a 6-0 lead and Harris was left dazed.

It started when shortstop Rey Sanchez led off with a double down the left-field line. Pitcher Frank Castillo laid down a sacrifice bunt in front of Harris. Harris turned and fired toward third baseman Gary Sheffield. The throw appeared to be in time, but third-base umpire Ed Montague ruled the tag was high.

Jose Vizcaino grounded to second baseman Kurt Stillwell, who forced Castillo but were unable to turn a double play, and Sanchez scored from third for a 1-0 lead. Harris would face five more batters before recording another out.

Ryne Sandberg doubled off the left-field fence. Mark Grace drove in a run with a bloop single to right. Andre Dawson followed with a single into almost the same spot.

Just when Harris thought it couldn’t get worse, he tried to fool May with a changeup, only to snap his head back and watch the ball soar into the right-field seats for a three-run homer. It provided the Cubs an instant 6-0 lead.

While Castillo apparently was celebrating his good fortune, he almost managed to blow the lead before the third inning had even elapsed.

Before Castillo knew what hit him, the Padres loaded the bases with one out . . . and guess who was coming to the plate?

Gary Sheffield.

Cub pitching coach Billy Conners and catcher Rick Wilkins immediately went to the mound, presumably to convince Castillo that there really have been some pitchers this year who have retired Sheffield. They couldn’t think of any, but there had to be some.

Castillo got ahead of Sheffield on a 1-and-2 count, and then watched in horror as Sheffield hit a screaming line drive that appeared toward the left-center gap.

Center fielder Dwight Smith, running the moment the ball was hit, dove somehow caught the ball.

“That was the best catch against us this season,” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said. “It was unbelievable. That changed the whole complexion of the game.”

If the ball had gone past Smith, Sheffield would have had at least a three-run triple, if not an inside-the-park homer. Instead, it was the biggest out of the game for Castillo, allowing him to hang on for his first victory since June 28.

It also continued the Cubs’ magical surge in the National League East, winning their fifth consecutive game. The Cubs (63-61), moved to within 6 1/2 games of the division-leading Pittsburgh Pirates. In a West Coast trip that was supposed to topple them, the Cubs have thrived (6-1), equalling their most victories on a California swing in franchise history.

The Cubs also managed to take Sheffield off his triple crown course for at least a day. Sheffield, who went one for three with an RBI, dropped into second place in the home run and RBI categories. Teammate Fred McGriff hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning for his 28th homer of the year, and Philadelphia catcher Darren Daulton took sole possession of the RBI lead with his 88th and 89th of the year.

The Padres, whose seven-game winning streak at home was their longest since 1982, dropped one-half game in the standings to the division-leading Atlanta Braves. They now are nine games behind the Braves with only 38 games remaining.