Padres on Edge, on Skids : Baseball: As the trade rumors swirl around them, they lose again, 4-1 to Pittsburgh, and fall 15 games behind Cincinnati in the NL West.

PITTSBURGH —  Padre starter Dennis Rasmussen was watching TV in his hotel room Friday afternoon when the phone rang. It was someone from a San Diego radio station calling.

Rasmussen was asked to confirm a report that he was being traded.

So much for an afternoon of tranquility. By the time Rasmussen entered the Padre clubhouse Friday, he didn’t know if he would be starting or boarding a plane headed elsewhere.

“It caught me by surprise,” Rasmussen said. “You try to get ready for a start, and then you hear something like that.”

Rasmussen refused to blame the distraction on his performance, which resulted in the Padres’ latest defeat, 4-1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates, but it’s becoming quite obvious that the trade rumors swirling through the clubhouse are starting to take their toll.

“You come into the clubhouse now,” Padre pitcher Bruce Hurst said, “and the first thing you think is, ‘Who got traded today?’

“We’re all on the trading line. I don’t think anyone’s safe. I know for myself, every time the phone rings on the road, the sheets are flying, wondering if I’m next.”

The Padres are trying to stay calm. They know their place of employment is out of their control. But they’re also well aware of the lurking danger.

Trader Jack is on the loose.

When Jack McKeon left the manager’s chair Wednesday to devote full time to his job as vice president/baseball operations, it was as if a wild, caged animal had been freed. He made two trades within 24 hours on Wednesday and Thruday, and with none consummated Friday, everyone wonders just who will be gone on Monday.

Of course, when you have lost 14 of the past 17 games, dropping to eight games below .500 (37-45), you can expect changes. The Padres, who have not had a lead in the past 33 innings, have now fallen 15 games behind the division-leading Cincinnati Reds. It’s the furthest back they’ve ever been in a pennant race since the end of the 1987 season.

“We’ve dumped the idea of worrying about the Reds,” Manager Greg Riddoch said. “We don’t even think about that. It’s not exactly like we’ve got pennant fever.”

The question is no longer whether the Padres will catch the Reds, but just who will still be wearing a Padre uniform at the end of the season?

“I think it’s a tough time for all of us right now,” right fielder Tony Gwynn said. “You wonder just what’s going to happen next. It’s hard to have continuity among 25 guys when you don’t know who will be here.”

And the way things are going these days, it’s difficult to find more than a couple of players who don’t believe they’ll be traded.

“You just look at our roster, and you know there are going to be moves,” Hurst said. “Look at our pitching staff, we’ve got seven starters, and three (Hurst, Rasmussen and Derek Lilliquist) of us are left-handed. You’ve got to think that one of us is going.”

The Padres, according to sources, are expected to trade Eric Show possibly as early as next week and call up reliever John Davis from triple-A Las Vegas. But more moves could certainly be pending.

Rasmussen (7-6), who yielded eight hits and four earned runs in six innings Friday, and third baseman Mike Pagliarulo will be free agents at the end of the season. First baseman Jack Clark, who makes $2 million, is eligible for arbitration and possibly free agency pending a collusion ruling. Joe Carter, who has not driven in a run in his past 36 at-bats, is in the first year of a three-year, $9.2-million contract. And Bruce Hurst (5-7) is in the second year of a three-year, $5.25-million contract.

If the Padres are going to re-acquire Kansas City reliever Mark Davis, and possibly obtain at least one high-priced free agent in the off-season, it’s no secret that some of these other salaries will have to go.

“I’ve been through it before, so I’m not going to let it bother me,” Rasmussen said, “but I can’t help but think about it. I’m a free agent, and if they decided they want to trade me and get something in return, they’ll do it. I’ve got to just keep doing my job and try to win ballgames, whether it’s here or for someone else.”

Said Clark: “Sure, I know there’s a chance I’ll be traded, just like everyone here. But I’m not going to sit here and worry about it. You can’t. It’s part of baseball, and it’s just a guessing game wondering who will go next.”

The three Padre players most protected from trades are Clark, Hurst and Carter. Each has a trade provision in his contract.

Clark must be paid $250,000 if he’s traded. Hurst cannot be traded to 12 teams, including every Eastern team but the Boston Red Sox. And Carter cannot be traded to six teams this season--the two New York teams, Montreal, Toronto, Detroit and Cleveland.

“I’m just like everyone else here, no one wants to go,” Carter said, “but it’s out of your control. When I signed, Jack told me that I wasn’t going to be traded. He said, ‘We got you so we can keep you. We’re not going to trade you.’ And I believe him.

“But he didn’t sign me to a no-trade contract, either, so I guess anything’s possible.”

The swirling trade talk has left Riddoch trying his best to calm his players. But it’s one thing trying to comfort them, he said. It’s another to lie to them.

“You know Jack,” Riddoch said. “Once he gets out that cigar and puts a phone to his ear, anything’s possible. He could make small changes. He could make big ones.

“I don’t think anyone knows, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

In the meantime, Riddoch will try to do his best to evaluate the talent he has inherited, making his recommendations about who should be retained.

He plans to platoon Pagliarulo and Eddie Williams at third base for the time being but is likely to take a long look at Williams to determine whether he can be an everyday major league third baseman. He’s going to rest shortstop Garry Templeton twice a week, he said, and replace him with All-Star second baseman Roberto Alomar on the off days. Rookie Thomas Howard will get an ample opportunity to prove whether he belongs in the starting lineup. And Lilliquist, who yielded one hit in two innings Friday, not only will pitch plenty for the Padres but likely will be in the starting rotation.

Oh, it might still be a tad too early for the Padres to write off this season, particularly with 15 games remaining with the Reds, but it’s no secret that the Padres already are thinking about 1991.

“I think a lot of guys are able to keep from thinking about it on the field,” Gwynn said, “but when they go to bed at night, you know they’re wondering what it might be like if they’re traded somewhere else.

“That’s the worst part of this game, seeing guys leave. When Mud (Mark Grant) came in here yesterday and was giving everybody a hug, you just feel like crying. You really do.

“We all hated to see him go.

“But what can you do? It’s baseball.”

Padre Notes

Padre pitcher Andy Benes says his left shoulder feels fine after he injured it slightly Thursday during a first-inning shoving match with Pirate third baseman Bobby Bonilla. Really, the only who was suffering any pain from the incident was pitcher Bruce Hurst. “I was trying to move Andy out of the way so he didn’t get hurt,” Hurst said, “and he stepped on my foot. Man, it still hurts.” Benes said the biggest pain to him was sitting around for 11 innings in the Padre clubhouse after he was removed from the game. “This stuff’s starting to get old,” Benes said. “It seems like every start I have goes extra innings. I sat around for seven innings in Los Angeles (June 15, a 15-inning game) and five innings in San Francisco (June 20, an 11-inning game). There’s only one way to remedy that, I guess. I’ve got to pitch well enough so I get to stay in there.”

The Padre team hotel became a haven for teen-aged girls Friday when they discovered that the musical group New Kids on the Block also was staying there for Friday night’s concert. “It’s a zoo, isn’t it?” Padre pitcher Ed Whitson said. “The worst part though was when my (8-year-old) daughter found out they’re staying there. Now she wants their autograph.” . . . Tony Gwynn upon greeting new pitcher Derek Lilliquist: “Hey, great to have you. We could use your bat. Now we’ve got someone to challenge Raz (pitcher Dennis Rasmussen, who’s batting .353).” Lilliquist is batting .348 this season, eight for 23, with two homers and three RBIs. He batted .301 with 19 homers and 60 RBIs his junior season at Georgia. “What can I say?” said Lilliquist, laughing. “It’s nice to be wanted for something.” . . . Although fines normally will not be disclosed, Padre Manager Greg Riddoch confirmed Friday that one of the first fines issued under his new system Thursday was against him. He wrote down the name, Smith, instead of Smiley, on the lineup card for Pirate starting pitcher John Smiley.

Riddoch said no one should be surprised if Garry Templeton turns into a brilliant utility player, including playing in the outfield. “You’d be surprised how many positions he can play,” Riddoch said. “I wouldn’t hesitate using him anywhere except for catcher.” . . . Even Brian Prilaman, Padre equipment manager, is going through a rough time. In just the past three days, Prilaman has had to measure three players and two coaches for new uniforms, sew their names on the back and paint their baseball shoes brown. “Tell Jack (McKeon) he’s killing me,” Prilaman said, laughing. . . . Frank Howard was the last Padre manager to win his debut, beating the San Francisco Giants, 4-1, in 1981. . . . Padre bullpen coach Denny Sommers, who turned 50 Thursday, was pleasantly surprised Friday when he was invited to compete in the Equitable Old-Timers’ Game July 28 as a catcher. He becomes the second Padre coach to play in the event, joining pitching coach Pat Dobson. Dobson is in New York to play in today’s old-timers’ game against former New York Yankees, celebrating Phil Rizzuto’s 50th year in baseball. . . . Rasmussen picked off a team-high sixth baserunner of the season in the second inning, nailing Jeff King at first base.

PADRES AT A GLANCE Scorecard

FOURTH INNING

Pirates--Bonilla beat out grounder to pitcher. Bonds flied to right. King doubled to left, Bonilla taking third. Lind singled to right, Bonilla scoring, King stopping at third. Bilardello sacrificed, King scoring, Lind taking third on pitcher Rasmussen’s throwing error, Bilardello taking second. Drabek struck out. Redus fouled to third. Two runs, three hits, one error, two left. Pirates 2, Padres 0.

FIFTH INNING

Pirates--Bell singled to left. Reynolds singled to center, Bell taking third. Reynolds took second on Rasmussen’s wild pitch. Bonilla grounded to shortstop, Bell scoring, Reynolds taking third. Bonds doubled to right, Reynolds scoring. King walked. Lind flied to right, Bonds taking third. Bilardello flied to left. Two runs, three hits, two left. Pirates 4, Padres 0.

SIXTH INNING

Padres--Howard doubled to center. Gwynn singled to left, Howard stopping at third. Clark grounded into double play, Howard scoring. Alomar struck out. Pirates 4, Padres 1.