Sheffield Finds a Pitch, Padres Find a Victory : Baseball: He hits a Candiotti knuckleball for homer, and McGriff’s double in eighth inning helps beat Dodgers, 3-1.

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

Gary Sheffield waited, picked his knuckleball like a shopper and sent it sailing over the left-field fence.

It sent the San Diego Padres toward a 3-1 victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday night before 13,016 in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

It was something Sheffield needed in 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 inning 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,” said Candiotti (10-14), who allowed only a run and four hits in eight innings. “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, the Dodgers and Padres said goodby to each other for 1992.

The Padres continued to chart individual statistics.

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

Andy Benes (12-13) was the winner, and Randy Myers picked up his 35th save--second in the NL.

The Dodgers were unable to move a runner past second base 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 has struck out 18 times in 46 at-bats.

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 inning--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 Sheffield flied to left field, Teufel took second on a passed ball. On ball four to McGriff, Teufel took third on another passed ball.

So Padres were on first and third with one out. 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 base with a grounder to shortstop.