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 Padres' pitchers finally hit a pothole
Posted: Monday October 12, 1998 01:03 AM
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- For one game at least, the San Diego Padres' pitching staff seemed merely mortal. Hitting a pothole in what had been a surprisingly smooth ride through the playoffs, three Padres pitchers were jolted for 12 hits, including two homers, in the Atlanta Braves' 8-3 victory Sunday night in Game 4 of the NL championship series. Even Andres Galarraga, who was in a 1-for-12 slump in the NLCS, took advantage of the Padres' suddenly shaky pitching, hitting a grand slam in the seventh inning to break open the game and force a Game 5 on Monday night. It was only the second time in eight playoff games this season that the Padres had allowed more than two runs; the other was a 5-4 loss to Houston in the second game of the division series. San Diego pitching coach Dave Stewart didn't fret over the lapse by the Padres' staff. The Padres still the lead series, 3-1. "It would have been pretty tough for us to do [keep pitching almost flawlessly]," Stewart said. "We're certainly not happy with it, but I think sometimes there are just letdowns. "Now we're coming back with Ash [Game 1 winner Andy Ashby]. He pitched a tremendous game down there and now he'll be going at home, where he feels more comfortable." Stewart added, "Everything now looks to be in our favor. We have to win one and they have to win three." The coach also noted that ace Kevin Brown was down in the Padres' bullpen when Sunday's game was still on the line. "I think he wanted a piece of the action, but the situation wasn't there for it," Stewart said. Although Brown made a quick turnaround in the series against the Astros, winning the first and third games of the series, San Diego manager Bruce Bochy said there were no plans to move him up a day this time. "It's Andy's turn. He's a big reason why we're in this situation," Bochy said. "He's pitching on his normal days' rest, and that's why he's out there. Kevin Brown will go the next day." Ashby wasn't upset by questions about the possibility that Brown would take his spot in the rotation for this series. "I don't find it insulting at all," Ashby said. "It's nice to know that you have Kevin and he could come back and pitch tomorrow. But it shows that they have confidence in me." The Braves did most of their damage to the Padres' bullpen, which had been generally outstanding in this postseason and had a 1.29 ERA in the NLCS. San Diego starter Joey Hamilton, a .500 pitcher during the regular season, kept the Padres close, leaving with the score tied at 3 after he allowed a leadoff homer to Javy Lopez and a single to Andruw Jones in the seventh inning. Randy Myers replaced Hamilton and gave an RBI single, then went on to load the bases. Dan Miceli came on to pitch to Galarraga, and the Atlanta slugger hit an 1-0 pitch so solidly that San Diego outfielders Steve Finley and Ruben Rivera stood in their tracks as they watched the ball sail over the fence in left-center. Hamilton, making his first 1998 postseason start for the Padres, was charged with four runs and seven hits in six-plus innings. "You can't come in and beat these guys at will because they have a good club," Hamilton said. "I made some mistakes and it ended up hurting us."
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