Padre Notebook : The Final Cuts: Kruk Makes the Roster; Patterson Stays With Team, for a While

One by one, they came and went. Ed Vosberg was cut and then Greg Booker and then Ed Wojna and then Mark Parent and then Jerry Davis.

They all were sent Friday to the Triple-A team in Las Vegas, and they all got a pat on the rump from Manager Steve Boros.

“I’ll be watching you,” Boros told Parent.

Parent answered: “And I’ll be watching you.”

Boros later admitted that trimming the roster is his least favorite thing, but he had fun telling outfielder/first baseman John Kruk that he had beaten out Davis for the final roster spot.

Boros told Kruk in the clubhouse: “Congratulations. You made the team. It’s official.”

Kruk said: “Thank you.”

Boros said: “No, thank you!”

Kruk, who hit .351 last year at Las Vegas, did make spring training a better place to be for Boros. He led the team in batting (.486), RBIs (14) and doubles (7). He struck out once.

“Nah, you can’t come in and expect to have a spring where you hit .500 or whatever,” said Kruk, 25. “I don’t think anyone expects to do that.

“You think you can do the job and everything, but, in the back of your mind, there’s still some doubt. . . . I knew I could hit, but not this well.”

Goose Gossage told radio announcer Bob Chandler that he likes Kruk because he’s a “country boy like me.”

Kruk, who grew up in West Virginia, said: “I told ya’ll whatever it took for me to make the team, I was willing to do. If that means pinch-hitting, that’s fine with me.

“I was talking to Dane Iorg about what it takes to be a pinch-hitter. He said you’ve got to go up swinging. You can’t be tentative. And you either have to have your mind set on being a pinch hitter or no mind at all. And I think I’ve got that latter part down pat. I don’t have a mind.”

One more roster note: The Padres held on to left-handed reliever Bob Patterson, just in case LaMarr Hoyt has trouble returning to action after spending 28 days in a rehabilitation center.

Why Patterson and not Booker, Wojna or Vosberg? Because Booker, Wojna and Vosberg will be used as starters at Las Vegas, and pitching coach Galen Cisco wanted to keep a reliever. Patterson will be sent down as soon as Hoyt is ready for game situations.

Cisco especially praised Booker and Vosberg.

Of Booker, he said: “He’s a better pitcher now than ever before in his life. As long as he keeps improving, he has a good chance of pitching here.”

Of Vosberg, a left-hander, he said: “He probably would’ve made the club if he were here last year and had this same kind of spring training. But we have (Lance) McCullers and (Gene) Walter. He needs to pitch, though, and he won’t get to if he stays here.”

The Padres lost to Seattle, 9-2, Friday.

Bip Roberts, who tripled, also was caught stealing twice by catcher Steve Yeager. Carmelo Martinez was picked off second base.

Shortstop Garry Templeton, with a runner on third, caught a pop fly in shallow left field and, thinking the inning was over, started walking off the field.

But there were only two outs, and the runner, Barry Bonnell, tagged up and scored.

San Diego’s spring training record is 11-12.