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Sunday, Jun. 11 5:00pm ET
Gwynn has decisive hit in eighth | |||||
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GAME LOG
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Tony Gwynn's batting funk seems to be behind him. Now if he could just play in consecutive games, he'd be really happy. Limited to playing in alternating games because of his degenerative left knee, Gwynn singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as the San Diego Padres beat the Houston Astros 4-1 Sunday, handing Jose Lima his ninth straight loss. "Today's a good day," Gwynn said. "Tomorrow I'll come to the park and sit around and be as mad as hell because I know I won't be in there. I've got to go in there and beg, 'Hey Boch (manager Bruce Bochy), how about a shot today?' " The Padres' medical staff decided that sitting Gwynn in alternating games is the best thing for his knee, which has been drained several times since spring training. Gwynn had five surgeries on the joint, which is basically bone-on-bone. But Gwynn, an eight-time NL batting champion and member of the 3,000-hit club, thinks that maybe by Wednesday he'll be ready to play in anywhere from four to six straight games. During an interleague road trip to Seattle and Oakland, Gwynn played all six games as designated hitter and said that helped his rhythm and pace. Not having to play right field kept him off the knee as much as possible, and he iced it in the clubhouse between at-bats. Now that the Padres are back to the NL, he ices it in the dugout. Gwynn, a career .339 batter, was hitting an unfathomable .186 when he went on the disabled list April 29. He got his average back to .300 on the road trip, and is hitting .313. "I just want to be part of what's going on, that's all," Gwynn said. "I want to be in a situation where I can contribute. Early, I didn't do anything. I was just basically out there." Before the game, Astros rookie catcher Mitch Meluskey punched teammate Matt Mieske in an altercation at the batting cage. Mieske, an outfielder, was cut over his left eye. With the score tied at 1, Al Martin doubled with one out in the eighth to chase Lima (1-9) and start a three-run inning. Marc Valdes came on to face Gwynn, who hit a 1-1 pitch to right field. Martin scored just ahead of Richard Hidalgo's one-hop throw home. Gwynn took second on the throw and made way for pinch-runner Kory DeHaan. Carlos Hernandez singled with two outs and the bases loaded to drive in two runs, which were unearned because of third baseman Ken Caminiti's error on Phil Nevin's grounder. Gwynn, Martin and Hernandez finished with two hits apiece as the Padres won two of three against the Astros, who have the worst record in the majors (22-40). Lima hasn't won since his first start of the season April 5, a string that includes three losses to the Padres. He did go 7 1/3 innings for the second straight start, the longest he's lasted this season. He allowed two runs on eight hits, struck out five and walked none. "I'm not even going to bother to get mad," Lima said. "That's the way the season is going. I never thought I'd be 1-9 at this point. But I'm just going to see how things turn out. I think I'll be all right." With runners on first and second, Kevin Walker (2-0) came on and got the last out of the eighth for the victory. Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth for his 14th save in 15 opportunities. San Diego went ahead 1-0 in the first when Martin singled with one out and scored on Nevin's two-out double to right-center. Houston tied it in the fourth when three straight Astros reached base against rookie Adam Eaton with one out. Lance Berkman walked, Daryle Ward singled and Tony Eusebio hit an RBI single. The Astros loaded the bases in the third on two walks and a single by Craig Biggio, but Eaton struck out Jeff Bagwell to end the inning. Eaton got his second straight no-decision after winning his major league debut May 30. He allowed one run and four hits in seven innings, struck out four and walked three. Game notesMeluskey struck out as a pinch-hitter to end the game. Mieske did not play. ... When INF Tim Bogar was warming up in the bullpen during Saturday night's 13-3 loss to San Diego, he had reliever Chris Holt teach him how to throw a sinker. Bogar then went out and pitched a perfect eighth inning, becoming the first Astros position player since John Cangelosi in 1995 to pitch. ... It was just the third time in 13 starts and second straight in which Lima has not allowed a homer. He leads the majors with 22 allowed. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Houston Clubhouse San Diego Clubhouse Pre-game brawling: Tempers flare on Astros
RECAPS Cincinnati 7 Cleveland 5
Chicago Cubs 6
San Diego 4
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