Ashby, Padres Stop Cubs 4-1

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

April 23, 1998 / 11:00 PM EDT / CBS Sportsline

Can the San Diego Padres play .800 baseball the rest of the season?

"I don't know -- we're having a good run," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said.

"I hope so. It's been fun," Tony Gwynn said.

Andy Ashby pitched eight scoreless innings and Ken Caminiti homered as the Padres defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-1 Thursday to continue their party.

The Padres, whose 16-4 record is the best in the majors, remained unbeaten in seven series this season.

"By no means are we going to get too high. By no means are we thinking we're the best team," Ashby said. "We've just got to go out and keep playing."

That's Caminiti's motto.

Despite severe pain whenever he throws because of a back strain that forced him to miss one game, Caminiti keeps trotting out to third base.

"He's got the highest pain threshold of anyone I know," Bochy said. "There are days when you question whether you should put him in the lineup and he goes out and has a great day."

The consecutive days off Sunday (rain in Pittsburgh) and Monday gave Caminiti some time to heal. He also has been struggling with a painful ingrown toenail which he took care of himself Saturday using a pair of pliers.

He was mad at himself after the game because he didn't complete a throw on Kevin Orie's infield single leading off the sixth after making a diving stop.

"I hate to make plays like that and not make the throw," Caminiti said. "I've never had to concentrate on throwing but now I do so it doesn't hurt so much."

"He was saying, `Ash, that's my fault,"' Ashby said. "I said, `Don't worry about it.' He's fun to have behind you."

The Cubs have struggled against the Padres pitchers.

"We've had a couple lackluster efforts on offense the last couple games," Chicago's Mark Grace said. "We've got to pick it up and when it happens, it's going to be fun. Nobody likes losing when you score one, two runs."

Ashby (3-1) allowed seven hits, struck out four and walked one. He has pitched at least six innings and given up no more than three earned runs in each of his five starts.

Dan Miceli relieved to start the ninth, and Sammy Sosa led off with his fourth home run. After Grace followed with a single, took over for his sixth save.

Mark Clark (2-2) lost for only the third time in 14 starts since joining the Cubs late last season. He gave up three runs and nine hits in seven innings.

Caminiti led off the second with his seventh home run. The Padres had gone two games without connecting, following a club-record streak of 13 games with at least one homer.

Wally Joyner singled later in the inning and scored two outs later on Chris Gomez's double.

With two outs in the seventh, the Padres loaded the bases when Quilvio Veras and Steve Finley each singled and Gwynn was hit by a pitch. Caminiti drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 3-0.

Mark Sweeney hit the third pinch-hit homer of his career leading off the Padres ninth.

Notes:

Caminiti hit a total of six home runs in the first three months of 1997, when he was slowed by shoulder trouble, and didn't hit his seventh until July 10. In 1996, when he hit a club-record 40 home runs and won the NL MVP, Caminiti hit his seventh home run on June 4, his 43rd game.

Joyner left the game after the fifth because of a mild strain in his right side. His status was day-to-day.

Cubs pitcher Bob Patterson, on the disabled list since April 10 with a strained left calf muscle, threw 50 pitches off the mound Thursday and will throw again Saturday.