Clark Tops Padres in 10th, 5-4

SAN DIEGO —  As far as the Padres were concerned, the series with the title-bound St. Louis Cardinals ran five innings too long.

The best way to contain the National League Eastern Division leaders is to keep Jack Clark from hitting home runs. The Padres stopped Clark cold for three games and for five innings Sunday at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, but then the dam broke. Clark hit prodigious homers in the sixth and 10th innings, and the second gave the Cardinals a 5-4 victory.

As a result, the Padres had to settle for a split in a series in which they proved to themselves that, despite their last-place status in the NL West, they could play with anybody. All four games were decided by one run, and all but one went into extra innings.

First Jimmy Jones, then Rich Gossage were victimized by Clark, who ran his season totals to 28 home runs and 89 RBIs, both tops in the National League. Clark’s first homer broke a 1-1 tie, and was hit almost hard enough to break the left-field wall. The Padres fought back, and Gossage had two men out in the 10th before Clark settled matters with a smash high into the left-center-field seats.

Afterward, Jones and Gossage were asked about the pitches that got away, and their responses were quite different.

Jones was the epitome of courtesy, saying, “When I struck him out earlier, I started him out with a breaking pitch low. I tried the same pitch again, and I think he was looking for it. When he’s looking for a pitch, he’s going to hit it.”

Gossage snapped: “Go ask him what kind of pitch it was. What can I say? I threw the pitch and he hit it out of the park. That’s not the first time I’ve gotten beat on a home run. I got it up high. Obviously, I didn’t want it there. He beat me. It’s that simple. Ballgame over.”

Clark is probably the strongest hitter in the league, but the Padre pitchers did a real number on him for 3 1/2 games. Until he hit his first home run Sunday, he had been held to one hit in 12 at-bats. Moreover, he had struck out eight times.

“This was probably the worst series I’ve had all year,” Clark said. “I had trouble getting comfortable in this ballpark, and I was looking forward to the off day tomorrow (Monday). I was going so bad that I made adjustments during today’s game.

“I tried a little bit of everything. I was getting out of whack, and I had to go back to basics. Instead of looking where I was going to hit a ball, I had to hit it first. And I can’t hit home runs by trying to hit them. I’m strong enough so if I hit the ball right, it will go out.

“I was going out of myself. I was trying to do too much. After playing in the All-Star game and being voted in by the fans, maybe I was battling myself. I needed something to pick me up, and I think I found it today.

“I hit my first home run on a curve ball and my second on a fastball. You have to think fast ball against Goose (Gossage). Even his slider is hard. Of course, just because you know what’s coming doesn’t mean you can hit it.

“Goose is one of only a handful of pitchers who come right at you. He plays National League hardball. He’s a battler and a competitor, and I respect him for that. It was a case of power against power.”

Whitey Herzog calls Clark the league’s most valuable player, and no one could accuse the Cardinal manager of going overboard.

“If there’s an MVP up to this point, he’s got to be the guy,” Herzog said. “I just worry about him getting hurt. He missed 97 games last year, and if we don’t have him in the lineup, we’re in trouble.”

Without Clark, the Cardinals are almost powerless. His 28 home runs constitute almost half their total of 60. Willie McGee and Terry Pendleton share second place on the club with seven each.

Jones carried a 1-0 lead over left-hander Rick Horton into the sixth, but then ran out of gas. Clark’s first home run capped a three-run rally, which the Padres matched when they chased Horton in the seventh. The key blow was a two-run single by Carmelo Martinez. The Cardinals pulled even in the eighth on Curt Ford’s single, and the tie existed until Clark swung his bat again.

Dividing four games with the Cardinals left Padre Manager Larry Bowa with mixed feelings.

“According to the numbers, we’re not supposed to be on the same field with them,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m happy with a split. Anybody who is can go out and get another job.”

Padre Notes

The Cardinals have survived a heavy siege of injuries to build a big lead in the National League East, and now they can look forward to the return of pitching ace John Tudor for the stretch drive. The veteran left-hander suffered a severe knee injury in April when catcher Barry Lyons of the New York Mets fell on him in the dugout in an attempt to catch a pop foul. Cardinal Manager Whitey Herzog said: “We should have John back early in August. He’ll go to Louisville (the Cardinals’ Triple-A team) this week and pitch a couple of games. After that, we’ll see.” Danny Cox, another injured starter, is expected to be out another month. . . . Third baseman Chris Brown was a late scratch from the Padres’ lineup Sunday. After taking batting practice, he complained of soreness in his right hand, which was hurt when he was hit by a pitch two weeks ago while a member of the San Francisco Giants. . . . Cardinal first baseman Jack Clark, a prime candidate for the most valuable player award, has six hits in eight at-bats in extra innings this season, including three home runs. Sunday’s game-winning hit was his third against the Padres. . . . Until Sunday, the Padres were 28-4 in games in which they led after the seventh inning.