Hoyt Kicks Up Some Dust as Padres Beat Braves, 3-1

SAN DIEGO —  LaMarr Hoyt, who dances like he swings a baseball bat, started to boogey right there in the clubhouse. The song that blared everywhere was called “Another One Bites the Dust,” and it came courtesy of Hoyt, who expertly kept his pitches in the dust during Wednesday night’s 3-1 Padre victory over Atlanta.

This was the Hoyt the Padres expected to see when they traded for him this off-season. He has been here for months now, and yet, Manager Dick Williams often forgets he’s around because Hoyt doesn’t fool around.

But he did on this night because he had been himself, the pitcher he used to be. In earlier games, the Padre outfielders would do wind sprints, trying to catch up with balls hit off Hoyt, who kept getting his pitches up. On this night, though, there were three ground balls in the first two innings--a sign that Hoyt was hot.

Hoyt ended up pitching a five-hitter through seven innings, and he still has not walked a batter in 27 innings this season. Carmelo Martinez homered to left and Graig Nettles homered to right. Then Goose Gossage retired six straight batters, recording his third save, and that was that.

“The way I’m supposed to pitch,” Hoyt said, “is to move the ball around and change speeds. If I’m getting fly balls, I’m making mistakes, getting the ball up. Tonight, I felt like myself.”

Martinez hit his home run in the fourth inning against Perez, a ball that curved just inside the flag pole in left. And Nettles hit his against Terry Forster, significant because Forster throws left-handed, Nettles hits left-handed and Nettles supposedly can’t hit left-handed pitching.

The other starter, Perez (0-3), who gave up seven hits and two runs in six innings, actually may be the most hated man in this city, hated even more than Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda. Perez was booed for just showing up on the mound and cheered for hurting his right hand while trying to bunt. He made no friends in San Diego last season when he threw at Padre hitters in Atlanta, eventually causing a brawl. No one has forgotten.

He’d like to forget his 12.00 ERA, however. Perez was 0-2 before this game and 0-1 in his dealings with catchers. Rick Cerone had been obtained by the Braves from the Yankees in December and immediately became perturbed by Perez’ pitching antics.

Cerone then told reporters he planned on helping Perez stop this nonsense, which Perez thought was nonsense. Cerone had been behind the plate for Perez in three starts this year, but not on Wednesday, as Manager Eddie Haas opted for Bruce Benedict.

In the fourth, Perez made the fans happy. He didn’t drop dead, but he also didn’t drop his fastball in the strike zone against Carmelo Martinez, and Martinez belted the two-run homer.

Martinez has been wrapping his right arm lately, only because he’d tried throwing too hard when he came back from his preseason hand injury. But this has not affected his batting, as his average is up around .365.

And Martinez later singled in the sixth, an inning the Padres loaded the bases. But the bases were loaded for LaMarr Hoyt, who hasn’t had a base hit in 12 years because he’s been in the American League. Hoyt had flied out to center in the fifth, the first ball he’d hit out of the infield this season. So there was hope. But he missed two Perez breaking balls and then grounded out weakly to third.

“Sooner or later, someone will throw me a fastball down the middle,” Hoyt said.

There was nothing weak about his pitching, though. Dale Murphy, who hit a home run against Hoyt in Atlanta, was hitless this time and looked feeble on two swings.

vl,4

Padre Notes

Pitcher Tim Stoddard, who was hit harder than Thomas Hearns early this season, threw two scoreless innings on Tuesday, reducing his ERA from 18.00 to 6.00. . . . Relief pitcher Greg Booker was relieved to hear that his wife, Kristi (General Manager Jack McKeon’s daughter) gave birth to a 7-pound, 14-ounce baby boy shortly before game time Wednesday. No name, yet. . . . Padre pitchers lead the N.L. in fewest walks allowed (25). . . . Goose Gossage added two perfect innings of relief pitching Wednesday, increasing the bullpen’s streak of scoreless innings to 20. Padre relievers have allowed just one run in the last 23 innings. . . . Starter Andy Hawkins is a career 7-1 in the month of April. . . . Tony Gwynn hates to leave home. Before this long home stand began on April 15, he’d been 3 for 22. Since then, he’s hit in each game (16 for 33), raising his average over 200 points to .345. . . . Outfielder Carmelo Martinez was given a trophy Wednesday night for being named to the all-rookie team last year. . . . Braves third baseman Bob Horner missed another game Wednesday, his right hamstring still much too painful for him to play. He might play in Houston this weekend. . . . Dale Murphy has five games to get eight RBIs to break the record set by Ron Cey for most RBIs in the month of April (29). Cey set the major league record in 1977, hitting .425 in that month, along with nine homers. . . . Add Murphy: He’s batting .520 with 20 RBIs and 4 homers with men on base.