Hitchcock to start Game 6 for Padres

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Posted: Tuesday October 13, 1998 10:45 PM

Repeat magic? Hitchcock earned his first career win against the Braves in Game 3 AP

ATLANTA (AP) -- Now it's Sterling Hitchcock's turn to pitch on three days' rest.

With San Diego ace Kevin Brown throwing 41 pitches in a surprise -- and losing -- relief appearance against Atlanta in the NL championship series Monday night, the Padres will move up the left-handed Hitchcock to start against the Braves in Game 6 on Wednesday.

The Padres, who will have slugger Greg Vaughn back on Wednesday, didn't get any argument from Brown.

"He's fine with this," manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday evening after the Padres' voluntary workout at Turner Field. "He was ready to go either way."

With San Diego leading 4-2 and wanting to close out the Braves at home, Bochy brought on Brown with a man on and none out in the seventh inning Monday night. Brown retired the side, but wasn't nearly as sharp in the eighth. With the Padres just five outs away from the World Series, he allowed Michael Tucker's go-ahead, three-run homer as the Braves staged an incredible rally to win 7-6.

San Diego leads the series 3-2. No team has rallied all the way back from a 3-0 postseason deficit; the Braves are the first team in that situation to force a sixth game.

Brown beat the Braves 3-0 with a three-hitter in Game 2, and would start Game 7 Thursday night if the Padres lose to the Braves and Tom Glavine Wednesday. The Braves' Game 7 starter would be Greg Maddux, who also made a surprise relief appearance Monday and ended up with his first career save.

Hitchcock beat Maddux and the Braves on Saturday at San Diego, allowing one run on three hits in five innings. He also started the go-ahead fifth-inning rally with a single off Maddux.

"To me, probably on the outside things are a little bit more crucial than they are in our clubhouse," pitching coach Dave Stewart said. "And in our clubhouse, one, we feel we have a good shot tomorrow with Sterling, as we did starting Game 1 with Ash [Andy Ashby], and two, if things don't happen in our favor tomorrow, then we still got Brownie for the final game. Rested.

"We'll go out, take our best shot tomorrow with Hitch and whatever comes with that, we'll take it, and if we have to come back for another ballgame, then we'll do that."

Hitchcock wasn't available for comment Tuesday, but he came up to Stewart in the dugout Monday night and told him he wanted the ball for Game 6.

"That was very helpful in making the decision easier to go with him," Stewart said. "But I think more than anything, Brownie's been big for us this year. We've used him a lot, he's thrown a lot of innings."

After Brown struck out 16 in winning the division series opener against Houston, he came back on three days' rest and wasn't as effective, but he held the Astros to one earned run in 6 2-3 innings and the Padres got a strong effort from relievers Dan Miceli and Trevor Hoffman to win.

Hitchcock, who was 9-7 with a 3.93 ERA in the regular season, hasn't pitched on three days' rest this year. He's done it four times in his career, going 0-2 with an 8.41 ERA. He threw 93 pitches on Saturday.

"It's the time of year when sometimes you have to move up a day," Bochy said.

Including Saturday's game and a start here in May, Hitchcock has allowed the Braves only seven hits and one earned run in 10 1-3 innings.

Vaughn, meanwhile, is scheduled to start in left field Wednesday. He strained his left quadriceps when he slipped on the wet grass in Game 1. He pinch-hit in the ninth Monday night, striking out on three pitches from Maddux.

"I have a tough act to follow, don't I?" Vaughn said, alluding to the big plays made by his replacements, John Vander Wal and Ruben Rivera. Vander Wal, acquired because he hits Braves pitching so well, hit a two-run homer off John Smoltz to put the Padres up 4-2 Monday night. Rivera scored a key run in the 3-2, 10-inning win in the first game.

"It's going to feel good for me to get back out there," said Vaughn, who hit 50 homers this year.

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