PADRES UPDATE : NOTEBOOK : Sheffield’s Performance While Under Pressure Draws Spotlight

SAN DIEGO — While everyone in baseball knows Padre third baseman Gary Sheffield is strongly chasing the triple crown, perhaps his least noticed accomplishment has been his clutch hitting.

Sheffield is batting .400 this season with two outs and runners in scoring position. Only two Padre position players are hitting higher than .225 in the same situation--center fielder Darrin Jackson (.310) and right fielder Tony Gwynn (.286).

“I don’t take anything for granted,” Sheffield said. “Me and Fred (McGriff) talk about that all the time. When there are guys on base, I want to drive them in.

“I don’t want to leave nothing out there.”

Sheffield is batting .343 overall with runners in scoring position this season with nine homers and 46 RBIs.

Here’s a rundown of the team with runners in scoring position entering Monday’s game:

Phil Stephenson: .333, 0 homers, 6 RBIs.

Gary Sheffield: .343, 9 homers, 46 RBIs.

Darrin Jackson: .318, 5 homers, 40 RBIs.

Tony Fernandez: .315, 1 homer, 26 RBIs.

Tony Gwynn: .309, 1 homer, 24 RBIs.

Fred McGriff: .276, 6 homers, 37 RBIs.

Benito Santiago: .271, 1 homer, 25 RBIs.

Oscar Azocar: .259, 0 homers, 6 RBIs.

Craig Shipley: .250, 0 homers, 3 RBIs.

Tim Teufel: .244, 1 homer, 13 RBIs.

Dan Walters: .243, 0 homers, 12 RBIs.

Jerald Clark: .241, 3 homers, 20 RBIs.

Kurt Stillwell: .187, 0 homers, 18 RBIs.

Kevin Ward: .091, 0 homers, 4 RBIs.

Team: .263, 28 homers, 285 RBIs.

Just something to remember while watching Sheffield:

There have been 14 triple crown winners and 12 have made the Hall of Fame.

Padre reliever Larry Andersen underwent a magnetic resonance imaging test for his sore right elbow and was not in uniform during the game.

The Padres say Andersen has tendinitis, but they hope he will not be placed on the disabled list.

Padre bullpen stopper Randy Myers not only has yet to blow a save in the second half, but he has been successful in 14 consecutive save situations.

It is the longest streak of his career, surpassing his previous record of 13 set July 14-Oct. 2, 1988 when he with the New York Mets.

“It’s no big thing to me,” Myers said. “We’re winning, and that’s all that matters.”

Padre starter Andy Benes’ middle finger was badly swollen after his victory Sunday. He will not be able to pitch on the side before his scheduled start Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“It really started swelling up during warm-ups,” Benes said. “But hopefully, I’ll be all right. There’s not too many starts left, and I don’t want to miss any turns.”

Darrin Jackson, who was hit in the wrist during Sunday’s game, was questionable before game time until pronouncing himself fit to play. “It’s a little bruised,” he said, “but not broken.”

What’s so remarkable about the Chicago Cubs entering Monday’s game with a league-leading 2.97 ERA?

The last time the Cubs’ staff had an ERA lower than 3.00 was during World War II when they had a 2.97 ERA in 1945.

Those joining the Sheffield watch this week: CNN, This Week in Baseball and the Washington Post.