Bochy pipes in with pitch for Hammond

By: BRIAN HIRO - Staff Writer | Tuesday, June 28, 2005 11:29 PM PDT ∞

LOS ANGELES ---- When it comes to baseball's All-Star Game, relievers who don't pitch the ninth inning need not apply, however gaudy their numbers might be.

For that reason, it was a surprise when, without prompting Tuesday, Padres manager Bruce Bochy promoted setup man Chris Hammond for the Midsummer Classic.

No one was more surprised than Hammond, whose response to his manager's kind words was to smile and laugh.

It's not that the 39-year-old left-hander ---- 5-0 with a 1.64 ERA ---- believes himself unworthy. It's just that he knows how the game works.

"I just really think it's funny," Hammond said of his All-Star candidacy. "You have to pitch really well to be considered for middle relief. All the focus is on starters and closers, as it should be because those are the guys who help you win championships."

If All-Stars were selected strictly on merit, Hammond might find himself booking a trip to Detroit for next month. The steadiest member of the National League's strongest bullpen, he has an active streak of 10 scoreless innings and is holding hitters to a .151 average. His five wins put him third on the team behind starters Adam Eaton and Jake Peavy.

"Now that I'm in the bullpen, I don't think about anything until the phone (from the dugout) rings," said Hammond, a former starter who converted before the 2002 season. "My stress level until game time is zero."

Instead, he inflicts stress upon overanxious hitters, who routinely flail at his glacial change-ups. Jeff Kent, the Los Angeles Dodgers' best hitter, is 1-for-20 in his career versus Hammond.

Bullpen mates eagerly anticipate the game that a Hammond off-speed pitch dips below 60 mph, which Bochy claims happened on Monday.

"I'm waiting for the day when he throws his change-up and runs to the plate and catches it," Bochy cracked. "He'll make history."

Short hops

CF Dave Roberts hit live pitching for the first time since he strained the patella tendon in his left knee on Friday, and he could return to the lineup this afternoon. ... Manager Bruce Bochy said he will need to "get creative" to find playing time for the hot-hitting Xavier Nady in the second half, raising the possibility of a six-man rotation at the three outfield spots, first base and third base. "You hit a home run a day, you're in the lineup," Bochy said of Nady, whose four-game streak with a homer ended Tuesday. ... Scheduled to make his fourth start for Triple-A Portland on Tuesday, RHP Miguel Ascencio was instead in San Diego to have his surgically repaired elbow examined. Ascencio is 0-3 with a 9.42 ERA.