Analysis : The Padres Are Better, but Battle’s Not Over

PITTSBURGH — For an analysis of the first half of the Padres’ 1987 season, Manager Larry Bowa need not contact the Elias Sports Bureau, Bill James or Andre Dawson.

All the answers are right at his fingertips.

“I’ve been biting my nails since I was 6 years old. I don’t think I can stop,” said Bowa, who earlier this year actually bandaged them. “But maybe lately I have been doing it less.”

The story of the Padres’ first half indeed contains two halves.

There was that awful team they put on the field for opening day. They lost five before their first victory. Even their first noteworthy feat--a major league record-tying three straight homers in their first three at-bats of their home opener against San Francisco--was followed by their first major collapse. They lost that game, 13-6.

Before their third victory, they had already experienced three losing streaks--of five, four and three games. Before they won their first series, they had been swept in eight series.

On June 4, they lost in Montreal, 8-5, to fall to 12-42, 19 games out of first and on a pace to lose 117 games. Rarely a sentence went by that, if it contained the phrase “1987 Padres,” did not contain the phrase “1962 Mets.”

There was the manager’s fight with Stanley Jefferson. There was the manager’s fight with a wall. There were charges of Joey Cora fouling up this, Joey Cora messing up that, Joey Cora finally going back where he should have started the season in the first place, Triple-A Las Vegas. Now for the rest of the story.

Since June 4, the Padres have gone 18-15. And differences in other areas have been startling.

In the 54 games before June 5, the Padres’ pitchers had a 5.07 earned-run average, allowed 74 homers (1.37 per game) and had one complete game.

In the 32 games after that, they compiled a 3.78 ERA, allowed 27 homers (0.84 per game) and had five complete games.

In the first 54 games, Padre hitters batted .253 with 191 runs (3.53 per game), 24 homers and 64 stolen bases.

In the next 32, they hit .267 with 147 runs (4.59), 27 homers and 33 stolen bases.

The Padres aren’t near to being a great team. In the National League, they have scored more runs (338) than only the Dodgers (327). They have a better team ERA (4.60) than only the Pirates (4.68), and they walk nearly four batters (3.67) a game, also second-worst to the Pirates.

They still aren’t a good team. They have been outscored by nearly 100 runs (435-338), they have only won 16 of 54 games against right-handed pitchers, and just 5 of 21 games on artificial turf. They have left an incredible 621 runners on base (7.2 per game, nearly one per inning).

Face it, they haven’t been out of last place since the sixth game of the season. They’ve never been higher than a fourth-place tie, and that was when they were 0-1.

But they are a different team. One-third of their opening-day lineup is gone. One-third of their opening-day roster is gone. Most of their opening-months scars are gone.

And they are certainly a better team, such that few around the league think they will end up as baseball’s worst team.

“Nobody around here looks at the newspaper anymore, nobody reads the standings,” said infielder Tim Flannery, a veteran clubhouse watcher. “We only know we’re not as bad as we were. And that those days don’t matter anymore.

“Because of my injury, I was able to be on the outside looking in, “ said Flannery, who missed all of May with a badly sprained ankle. “I saw what we were. And now I know, we’re a completely different team.”

Said Bowa: “It’s taken this long for some of the guys to finally feel part of something.”

A recent emotional setback has been the seven-player deal with San Francisco: Dave Dravecky, Craig Lefferts and Kevin Mitchell were sent to the Giants for Chris Brown, Mark Grant, Mark Davis and Keith Comstock. The club lost four of five games immediately after the trade, which often happens after a popular player such as Dravecky is shipped out.

But the players say they are beginning to adjust.

“When the trade came out, a lot of us were, well, disappointed,” Flannery said. “We felt just terrible when Dave was gone. But I think we’re settling out now, and we’re starting to believe in the new guys, too.”

Said Bowa: “Just when we’re getting things going, we have a little upsetting of the chemistry. But it will work out for us down the road this year.”

They must first stay healthy. Already, 10 players have been on the disabled list, more than the last three years combined.

They also must continue to work hard. Unlike many other losing teams, the Padres are still coming out for early batting practice. Pitcher Ed Whitson arrived at Three Rivers Stadium at 1:40 p.m. Friday for a 7:35 p.m. game, and a dozen players were ahead of him.

But more they anything, the Padres must forget what happened before.

“When I first walked in this clubhouse, I had no idea that this was a last-place team,” Grant said. “Then after that loss to Chicago (when the Padres lost, 12-8, after blowing a 7-0 lead), they started talking about the way it used to be.”

Vital to keeping those thoughts out of players’ heads are continued good performances from an important few. The June 4 date was not just a turnaround time for the team; it also has worked that way for several players.

After 54 games, first baseman John Kruk was hitting .360 but had just 5 homers and 21 RBIs. In the 32 games since, he has hit 5 homers with 17 RBIs. His average was only .298 during that time, but the Padres will make that trade-off.

“I guess I’m just closing my eyes tighter,” Kruk said.

After 54 games, left fielder/first baseman Carmelo Martinez was hitting .238 with 4 homers and 21 RBIs. Since then, he has hit .329 with 5 homers and 21 RBIs.

“Maybe Carmelo is not as quick as others in left field, but he’s not that far behind,” Bowa said. “With his bat like it is, we’ll find a place for him.”

Second baseman Randy Ready was hitting .273 with nine doubles and nine RBIs on June 4. Since then, he has hit .353 with 6 doubles and 13 RBIs.

On June 4, catcher Benito Santiago was hitting .274 with 17 RBIs. Since then, he has hit .294 and nearly doubled his RBI total with 15. Then there’s Shane Mack, who could be the Padre center fielder until the year 2000. In his first couple of weeks after being called up May 25 from Las Vegas, he hit .238 with three RBIs. Since June 12, he has hit .309 with two homers and seven more RBIs.

“We’re really happy with his progress,” Bowa said. “Just like we thought, once he got his feet settled, he has started to come into his own.”

Although it has been difficult to tell this past week, several pitchers have followed the hitters’ streaks.

“That’s the most optimistic sign,” Bowa said. “That’s still what’s going to carry us.”

Starter Ed Whitson was 5-6 with a 5.09 ERA on June 4. Since then, he has gone 3-1 with a 3.80 ERA.

Eric Show started the season 1-7 with a 4.30 ERA. In the past month, he has gone 3-3 with a 3.23 ERA.

Even maligned rookie Jimmy Jones has turned in better innings. He began 0-3 with a 7.71 ERA. Lately, though, he is 2-0 with 3.00 ERA.

At midseason, the Padres still need a power hitter (they are last in the league with 51 homers) and a starting pitcher. And General Manager Jack McKeon has promised: “We are not done dealing. We are never done dealing.”

But, McKeon added: “The players now know we just aren’t saying this is a young team. We’re trying to do something now.”