Rookie Gives Padres Relief in 2-0 Victory

SAN DIEGO —  Two of Garry Templeton’s children were gallivanting through the Padre clubhouse Monday night, playing tag or hide ‘n’ go seek or whatever kids play these days. There was added significance that Lance McCullers stood there watching them, because, heavens, he looks like a little kid, too.

But, as 21-year-olds will, Lance McCullers also has a young, live arm, the kind that makes baseball scouts say “Wow! Better bring my speed gun with me next time.” And since the Padres are all for young arms, they called him up from the minors Friday night to see if he could help a souring bullpen.

In a meeting, Manager Dick Williams, scared to death of guys like Tim Stoddard, actually ordained him a short reliever, too. He didn’t get a chance to use him Sunday, but when starter Mark Thurmond left in the seventh inning Monday night with a muscle problem in his rear end, Williams brought in the kid.

No matter that the Padres were leading, 2-0. No matter that this series with the Cincinnati Reds is mega-important. The kid was in. As he ran in from the bullpen, third baseman Graig Nettles, 40 and not of McCullers’ generation, asked Williams: “You don’t think the kid will be nervous, do you?”

He’s not nervous now. He threw one-hit baseball and earned his first save, the Padres ending up with a 2-0 victory. They also moved into second place ahead of the Reds, but still seven games behind the Dodgers.

And funny that Steve Garvey’s two-run double in the sixth stood up as the game winning RBI, for The Garv hails from McCullers’ hometown--Tampa, Fla. McCullers actually attended the same high school that Garvey did, but destined not to follow in Garvey’s footsteps, transferred somewhere else.

But even in high school, he had that fireballing reputation. None of those silly sliders or curves or forkballs for him. Get it and throw it. He’s that way today. He was clocked at 95 m.p.h. Monday night.

With a man on and one out in the seventh, the first batter he faced was Buddy Bell, a perennial All-Star. As he was walking in, he wondered if he’d throw his first warmup pitch to the backstop. Nasty thoughts. When he arrived at the mound, Williams greeted him and told him to relax. Kennedy explained the Padre signs to him, told him that they’d change if a man reached second. Williams again told him to relax and patted him on the rear.

His first warmup pitch made it to Kennedy’s glove.

His first real pitch was a called strike. His next one was fouled off. Eventually, Bell flied out to deep right.

“After that first pitch was a strike,” McCullers said, “I settled down.”

He ended the inning when Bo Diaz popped out to third. Nettles ran to him and patted him on the back. Tim Flannery screamed, “Congrats!” Templeton ran to him and whispered something.

In the eighth, he walked a man, but escaped when Tom Runnells flied out to left. In the ninth, Dave Parker doubled to right-center, but he struck out Tony Perez (his first K in the majors), got Nick Esasky to fly to right and got Bell, again, on a pop up.

And so Thurmond (4-7) earned the victory, significant in that he’d been demoted from the starting rotation back in June after he’d lost both games of a doubleheader to the Giants. He threw relatively well Monday, but not overly well. Which means he had some luck.

In the first, he escaped after giving up two singles. In the second, he gave up a lead-off single but Diaz hit into a double play. In the third, he threw over to first as Gary Redus was stealing, and Redus was thrown out. In the fourth, Parker was picked off like that. In the fifth, Ron Oester was on second and would’ve scored on Mario Soto’s bouncer up the middle, but Tim Flannery dove and snagged it, throwing Soto out to end the inning.

“I thought it was a hit for sure,” Thurmond said.

Thurmond has the worst move to first base of any Padre pitcher, but he varied his move to first Monday, and he caught Redus and Parker off guard.

Garvey’s sixth-inning hit came after Templeton had reached on a fielder’s choice and after Tony Gwynn walked. Garvey, who went 3 for 3, doubled by Bell at third, the ball rolling into the Padre bullpen and scoring both runners.

The Reds have only scored eight runs since the strike ended (three in 41 innings), so the two runs looked good.

And McCullers looked good in his first-ever, post-game major league interview. When he was finished and when all the media had left him alone, Kurt Bevacqua ordained him with his first major league rib.

“Hey Lance,” Bevacqua said, after seeing him with all that attention. “Your house burn down?”

Padre Notes

Not only was this game significant to the pennant race, but also to certain members of the human race. Up on the dugout wall, the scorecard said Miguel Dilone was leading off and playing center field. Actually, for Dilone, it probably didn’t mean much. Since being called up from the minors Friday, he’s started every game, had six hits in 13 at-bats and stolen three bases. He probably thinks he was in the right place at the right time, but Kevin McReynolds probably doesn’t. McReynolds is on the bench. For the record, Manager Dick Williams says McReynolds’ jammed heel isn’t completely healed, but that he could have played Monday if necessary. “We’ll see what takes place,” Williams said prior to the first pitch.

And for the record, McReynolds also says he isn’t entirely healthy. But, beneath the surface, it’s quite clear that he essentially has been benched. Williams, asked if it was a permanent move, said, “It shouldn’t be with his (McReynolds’) potential. But right now, Dilone will be in there. Right now, we’re getting the speed we want up front and getting people on base.” Williams went on to say that he considered putting Dilone in left and putting McReynolds back in center, but decided not to mess with Carmelo Martinez, the regular left fielder. Not now. Instead, he messes with McReynolds, who is not really on speaking terms with Williams and who also is hitting only .229.

McReynolds, the quiet type, had a simple reply: “It’s all part of baseball. If it wasn’t for my heel, though, I’d have something to say. I’d have confronted it (the situation) by now, but one bad step may set me back. Another day (off) won’t hurt.” But if he’s still resting his heel two days from now? “There’ll be a confrontation then,” he said. “I may have to come out of my shell right then. I hope it doesn’t come to that.”