Padres Take It Out in Trade

It was only one week after John Moores became owner of the San Diego Padres on Dec. 21, 1994, that the 12-player trade with the Houston Astros was consummated.

The message was clear.

Finally, Tony Gwynn figured, some dollars and sense.

“We took on $9 million in payroll and only $3 1/2 million went the other way,” Gwynn was saying of the trade Friday night.

“Right there [the new owner] made a commitment on the field.”

After the destructive ownership of Tom Werner, the Padres had begun an overhaul that would make them the most improved team in the National League in 1995 and a title contender in 1996.

The blockbuster trade, negotiated by former general manager Randy Smith, provided the foundation.

Among others, the Padres acquired a gold glove third baseman in Ken Caminiti and a gold glove center fielder in Steve Finley.

They also acquired shortstop Andujar Cedeno, who was packaged in a June trade with the Detroit Tigers that provided San Diego with two other regulars: catcher John Flaherty and shortstop Chris Gomez.

In the second game of the showdown series with the Dodgers Friday night, a must game for the Padres, Finley and Caminiti returned dividends again.

Finley, whose offense has risen to the level of his defense since his acquisition, blasted two solo homers off Tom Candiotti knuckleballs.

Most-valuable-player candidate Caminiti shook off those three strikeouts of Thursday to double, homer, steal a key base and score two runs in a 4-2 victory, reducing the Dodgers’ lead in the National League West to one-half game again.

Finley and Caminiti, the ex-Astros?

“With the numbers he’s putting up there’s no doubt in my mind that Cammy should be the MVP,” Padre coach Davey Lopes said, “but there’s no way we’d be in this position without either one of them.”

Finley, 31, had never hit more than 11 home runs or driven in more than 55 runs in a season, but he now has 27 homers and 90 RBIs.

He also has set club records for doubles (44) and runs (121) and boasts a .297 average.

“He’s always had a great swing and he’s always had power,” Caminiti said of his longtime teammate.

“I guess he’s just harnessed it, you might say. He’s much more relaxed and confident as a hitter now.”

Finley shrugged.

“Older, wiser and a lot more weightlifting,” he said of his offensive development. “No secrets. I just go up and do what feels good. See it and hit it.”

Finley has done it so successfully that the Padres have often batted him in the No. 3 spot.

He was hitting second Friday night, with Caminiti behind him, when he slugged those solo homers off Candiotti in the first and fourth innings.

The knuckleball? No problem. Finley has a career average of .341 with four home runs against Candiotti.

“I thought he was pitching great,” Finley said. “He made only a couple mistakes. Both were to me and I was fortunate to hit both.”

Both were up, or as Finley said:

“I try to lay off the knuckler that’s down because it’s generally going to be a ball and try to get one that’s up, where it doesn’t break as much.”

The early lead provided pitcher Joey Hamilton with breathing room in a game the right-hander described as the biggest of his career.

Hamilton has been battling an inflamed shoulder that he claims will require a winter of rest, but he responded with 7 2/3 strong innings, holding the Dodgers to three hits and two runs, striking out nine.

Hamilton helped make it San Diego’s night, but Caminiti, who had said his team seemed tense in Thursday’s opener, sensed a difference as soon as he arrived Friday.

“It was nice and relaxed, a lot different from yesterday,” he said. “I don’t know why, but it felt good.”

Caminiti struck out against Candiotti in the first--”I was just hoping it wasn’t going to be another three strikeouts”--then doubled off Candiotti in the fourth, surprised the Dodgers by stealing third and scored on a fly by Wally Joyner.

Caminiti then tied a club record with his 38th homer off Mark Guthrie in the eighth, one more example of dollars and sense.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE NL WEST STRETCH DRIVE

WEST DIVISION RACE *--*

WEST W L Pct. GB Dodgers 87 67 .565 -- San Diego 87 68 .561 1/2 WILD-CARD RACE TEAM W L Pct. GB San Diego 87 68 .561 -- Montreal 85 68 .556 1 Colorado 80 75 .516 7

*--*

One wild-card team qualifies for the playoffs.