Sheffield Stays Close in Triple-Crown Chase : Baseball: His 32nd homer propels Padres to 3-1 victory over Dodgers.

It was the usual case. First came one knuckleball. And then another and another, and with Tom Candiotti on the mound, it wasn’t difficult to figure there would be more on the way.

Gary Sheffield waited, picked his knuckleball like some shoppers choose peaches and sent it sailing over the left-field fence.

It sent the Padres on their way to a 3-1 victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday night in front of 13,016 in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

And it was something Sheffield needed as he continues chasing a triple crown.

The fourth-inning, bases-empty homer was Sheffield’s 32nd of the season, leaving him two behind NL leader Fred McGriff. Sheffield added a single in the eighth against reliever Jim Gott to boost his batting average to an NL-leading .336. And his one RBI gave him 96--second to Darren Daulton’s 101.

“That was the only ball he hit all night,” Candiotti (10-14), who allowed only a run and four hits in eight innings, said in reference to Sheffield’s homer. “I threw him three, four, five knucklers he didn’t come close to.

“A guy who swings that hard and is as strong as he is, that’s what happens when he hits the ball.”

While a handful of other teams continued to maneuver in a pennant race--remember those?--the Dodgers and Padres said goodby to each other for 1992 with different thoughts.

Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda was talking optimistically before the game. He was optimistic that injured outfielder Darryl Strawberry, who underwent back surgery Tuesday, will have a splendid year in 1993.

The Padres, meanwhile, continued to chart individual statistics.

Consider the Dodgers happy to be relieved of Sheffield for the season. Sheffield went 6 for 10 with two RBIs and a homer during their three-game series. He’s the kind of guy who thrills Padre pitchers.

“He’s phenomenal,” said Padre starter Andy Benes (12-13). “There are a whole lot of words you could use to describe him. He’s just been awesome this year. I can’t see anybody else winning the MVP.”

Said Padre Manager Greg Riddoch: “How many people get a chance to watch the things this guy is doing? The whole season, he and Freddie (McGriff) have been a tandem. That’s a treat by itself.”

Aside from Sheffield’s homer and McGriff’s two-run, eighth-inning double, there wasn’t much else to watch. The Padres barely pushed across three runs despite two Dodger passed balls and two wild pitches--none of which, amazingly enough, led to a run.

Randy Myers picked up his 35th save, second in the NL.

The Dodgers, who missed a chance for their first three-game sweep in San Diego since June, 1982, were unable to move a runner past second against Benes.

Candiotti lasted seven innings, holding the Padres to one run and four hits. His only shortcomings were one pitch to Sheffield and an invisible Dodger offense, whose chief ghost was Billy Ashley, who struck out four times.

The 22-year-old outfielder from Taylor, Mich., has struck out 18 times in 46 at-bats.

Sheffield’s homer came in the fourth, when he led off the inning by quickly depositing a 1-and-2 Candiotti pitch over the left-field fence.

It was Sheffield’s second lifetime homer against Candiotti, but the Padre third baseman wouldn’t say he has solved the knuckler.

“Not really,” Sheffield said. “I can’t figure him out. I’ve hit two balls out--they were just (Candiotti) mistakes.”

Neither would Sheffield say he is happy with the way things currently stand.

“I still haven’t accomplished what I want to accomplish,” he said. “I’m still shooting to do that.”

Which is?

“Driving in 100 runs,” Sheffield said. “That’s any RBI man’s goal. To drive in 100 runs. That’s it.”

Although Benito Santiago drew a one-out walk two batters after Sheffield’s homer, the Padres couldn’t extend their 1-0 lead. Darrin Jackson followed Santiago by grounding into his team-leading 18th double play, ending the inning.

The Padres blew two other chances to score against Candiotti. They put their first two batters on base in the second--Santiago walked and Jackson singled--but Jerald Clark grounded into the Padres’ first double play of the evening and Kevin Ward followed with a grounder to shortstop.

Then, in the sixth, the Dodgers’ own weapon--Candiotti’s knuckleball--nearly backfired on them. Candiotti walked the leadoff man, Tim Teufel, and, after inducing Sheffield to fly to left, Teufel took second on a passed ball. Then, on ball four to McGriff, Teufel took third on another passed ball.

So Padres were on first and third, only one was out, and Dodger catcher Mike Scioscia was probably muttering about the knuckler--but there was no further damage.

Santiago followed with a grounder to third, and the Dodgers caught Teufel in a rundown. Then, Jackson forced pinch-runner Craig Shipley--in for Santiago, who came up with a “sore hip flexor”--at second with a grounder to shortstop.

The play that probably best typified the game--and the season, for that matter--came in the third, when Candiotti skied a high pop foul to Santiago.

The Padre catcher barely had to move. All he was required to do was rotate 180 degrees in the catcher’s box. From that angle, with his back to the mound, the ball came down, down, down, hit his mitt . . . and bounced out. The routine play drew a chorus of boos from the sparse crowd.

But then, had the Padres and Dodgers made the routine plays this summer, perhaps they still would be playing to packed houses.

Triple Crown Watch

Batting Average

Gary Sheffield, Padres: .336

Andy Van Slyke, Pittsburgh: .331

John Kruk, Philadelphia: .327 Home Runs

Fred McGriff, Padres: 34

Gary Sheffield, Padres: 32

Barry Bonds, Pittsburgh: 29 Runs Batted In

Darren Daulton, Philadelphia: 101

Gary Sheffield, Padres: 96

Fred McGriff, Padres: 95

Terry Pendleton, Atlanta: 95