PADRES UPDATE : NOTEBOOK : Tight-Fisted Astros Might Have Quite a Big Punch Next Season

Don’t look now, but there they’re the envy of almost the entire National League.

The Houston Astros, who stripped their franchise and made million-dollar players obsolete, have shocked the house by being a threat this season. They entered Thursday’s game against the Padres with a 30-16 record since August 16, only 2 1/2 games out of third place.

They finished 65-97 a year ago and were the laughingstock of the league, but they will be be considered a contender in 1993.

“Last year when we faced the Braves, Dodgers, Padres or Mets,” Astro starter Pete Harnisch said, “we thought we were going to lose. If we had a good pitcher going against us, which happens on most nights in this league, we didn’t think we could beat him.

“Now, we think we can win every game. We don’t, but you’re going to win a lot more with that attitude.”

Said Astro Manager Art Howe: “We’ve come a long way. At the start of the season, I thought if we could get to 75 wins we’d reach our goal. I think during that long trip (July 27-Aug.23) after we hit rock bottom with a loss in San Francisco (Aug. 10), we started to loosen up. That’s when we started to come together.

“I think guys realized they could win on the road if they just went out and played ball without worrying about losing. We’ve had a lot of young guys the last two years, and it takes some time to adapt to the road. That’s part of the learning experience you have as a player. On that trip, they made up their minds to go out and play baseball. Since then, we’ve shown to the other clubs in the league and to our fans that we can be competitive.”

Said outfielder Pete Incaviglia, recalling their 28-day, 26-game trip that was forced by the Republican National Convention: “It’s weird, but I think the best thing that happened to this team was the long road trip. When you’re with somebody for 28 straight days, you get to know them a lot better. I saw us start to play better as a team during that trip because we grew closer together.

“This is a great group of guys, but I don’t think we all realized how great until we were together for that long trip. I know I felt like we were more of a team after that.”

The Astros are expected to be formidable next season. They will attempt to sign free-agent pitcher Greg Swindell or Doug Drabek.

The Florida Marlins, according to sources, have narrowed their managerial field to three finalists: Bill Virdon of Pittsburgh, Rene Lachemann of Oakland and Jimy Williams of Atlanta.

Although it had been widely speculated that former Padre Manager Larry Bowa was a candidate, he never got a call to be interviewed.

Dodger scout Phil Regan turned down an offer to be interviewed for the job.

Padre third base coach Bruce Kimm and bench coach Jim Snyder were told that they’ll be officially fired after Sunday’s game in Atlanta. . . . Padre starter Bruce Hurst was diagnosed with an inflamed rotator cuff, and took a flight back to Birmingham, Ala., to be diagnosed by Dr. James Andrews. They expect him to rejoin the team in Atlanta. . . . Padre reliever Jeremy Hernandez is suffering from a lower back sprain and may miss the last three games.