PADRES UPDATE : NOTEBOOK : Despite His Injury, Hurst Still Determined to Take His Turn

Padre starter Bruce Hurst could have called it a season. There was no reason for him to be taking the mound Saturday with his inflamed rotator cuff, not with the Padres already out of the pennant race.

Yet Hurst’s competitiveness refuses to let him quit, teammates say.

“That tells you what kind of player he is,” Padre catcher Dann Bilardello said. “We know he doesn’t need to pitch. He’d probably be better off if he took the rest of the season off and didn’t pitch.

“But that’s Bruce. You just hope his example rubs off on everybody else, because there are few guys like him.”

Said Padre reliever Larry Andersen: “He’s just such a competitor, he wants to win in the worst way. If he can pitch, if he can just raise his arm, he’ll give you everything he’s got.”

While the Padres constantly talk about the importance of finishing in second place, Reds Manager Lou Piniella has trouble understanding the logic.

“I say, ‘Go for the gold,’ ” Piniella said. “Who cares about the silver and bronze? Come on, no one remembers who finishes second and third.”

It also explains why the Reds are scratching Chris Hammond from today’s scheduled start, and instead will go with rookie Bobby Ayala, who was called up from double-A.

The Ex-Padre Player of the Week Award goes to reliever Randy Myers, who has saved 20 games in his last 21 opportunities and a career-high 32 for the season. He also has allowed only one hit in his last five appearances.

OK, Myers technically still is a Padre. But in three weeks he’ll be gone as a free agent, never to return.

His departure will leave the Padres nothing in return for the Bip Roberts trade last winter.

“I predicted Randy would get 30 to 35 saves,” said Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager.

McIlvaine simply didn’t predict the Padre ownership would be so financially strapped that it couldn’t afford to keep Myers.

The Padres have quite a peculiar schedule at the start of the 1993 season.

They open in Pittsburgh and then travel to Miami to play the Florida Marlins. They return home for two games, then venture to New York and Philadelphia.

They’ll return to San Diego for a six-game home stand, and then go back on the road to Montreal, Cincinnati and Chicago.

Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn was all set to return to the lineup Saturday, but while running in the outfield before the game, his left knee started to bother him again. He was scratched before the game and replaced by Oscar Azocar.

Although it will be two more months before the manager of the year awards will be announced, Detroit Tiger Manager Sparky Anderson says there’s no question whom should receive the American League award.

In fact, if it was up to Anderson, he’d give Oakland Athletic Manager Tony LaRussa the Manager of the Century award.

“There’s no question in my mind, and I’ve been managing for 23 years,” Anderson said. “I’ve never seen anyone manage a season like Tony LaRussa has managed this year, and I’m never going to see it again.

“It wouldn’t be possible to do anything like that again. You can only do that feat once. He has just really put on a show managing. I still don’t see how they’re winning the division.

“Now Toronto, I can see. They’ve been healthy all year and they’re loaded. But Oakland? One man doing the job Tony has done, we’ll never see it again. I know I’ll never do it.”

While the Atlanta Braves have all but clinched the National League West title, there’s still concern among the Braves about their starting pitchers.

The entire rotation, with the exception of Pete Smith, is struggling. Tom Glavine, who has sore ribs on his right side, will miss his next start. John Smoltz has only one victory the last month. Steve Avery has struggled all year. And Charlie Leibrandt has been erratic.

Take a look at the last five starts by each of their top four starters entering the weekend:

* Glavine: 1-3, 5.66 ERA, yielding 20 hits and 13 walks in 20 2/3 innings.

* Leibrandt: 1-2, 7.11 ERA, 29 hits in 19 innings.

* Avery: 0-1, 5.88 ERA, 29 hits in 26 innings.

* Smoltz: 1-2, 3.45 ERA, 24 hits in 28 2/3 innings.