Despite Their Injuries, Pirates Are Still Rolling : Baseball: Drabek earns fourth victory in a row in Pittsburgh’s 3-2 decision over Padres.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were supposed to fall flat on their faces, remember? With all of the bickering over their contracts, the fleeing of free agents and spring-training feuds, they looked like the Padres of a year ago.

But a funny thing is happening. The Pirates are winning. They’re not just winning, they’re running away with the National League East.

The Pirates, despite an injury-depleted lineup, showed the Padres on Monday why they might be the best team in baseball, winning, 3-2, in front of 15,951 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

Missing from the Pirates lineup were third baseman Jeff King, who was placed on the disabled list Monday with a lower back strain, outfielder/third baseman Bobby Bonilla, who was scratched with a strained left calf, and Gold Glove center fielder Andy Van Slyke, who also had a lower back strain.

“That’s when you realize what this club is made of,” said Pirate Manager Jim Leyland, “when you go out there short-handed and play like that.”

The Pirates resist any temptation to act cocky about their chances of winning the division, but it doesn’t take Abner Doubleday to figure out that they could repeat.

The Pirates already own a 6 1/2-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, and considering their 38-22 record, if they simply play .500 ball the rest of the season they’ll finish 97-65.

Leyland credits his players for being responsible, leaving their problems behind once the season started and playing as if they’re possessed.

Of course, many say the man most responsible for the Pirates success is Leyland. Listen to what Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager, thinks of the man he once played for in Clinton, Iowa, in 1972.

“He was a good manager then,” McIlvaine said, “and he’s a good manager now. People can debate this all they want, but he might be as good a manager as there is in the game.”

Said Leyland: “Hey, I think we’ve got a good team, and, of course, it doesn’t hurt to have Doug Drabek on your side, either.”

Drabek, who allowed eight hits and three walks in seven innings Monday, didn’t appear his dominant self, but he seemed to be regaining his Cy Young form of a year ago. After opening the season with a 1-6 record and 3.86 ERA, Drabek earned his fourth consecutive victory and fifth in his past six decisions. In his last six starts, he has a 1.26 ERA.

“I think he’s much more aggressive now,” Leyland said, “and when he’s missing, he’s throwing the ball, not guiding the ball. He was a little passive early. He was pitching maybe like he thought he was going to lose, instead of thinking he was going to win.

“It was almost like he was trying to be perfect in everything he did, and you just can’t be that way.”

Certainly, he was far from perfect on this night, beating Bruce Hurst (7-4), but at times, it looked as if he was toying with the Padres.

In the first inning, Bip Roberts and Tony Fernandez had back-to-back singles, and after Tony Gwynn flied to left, Fred McGriff walked, loading the bases.

No problem. Drabek struck out Tim Teufel, and Benito Santiago fouled to Redus, ending the inning.

Then there was the fifth inning. Gwynn led off with a double off the right-center fence, McGriff walked, and Drabek looked to be in trouble again.

But he got Teufel to ground into a double play, and Santiago flied to center.

“I told Gary (Redus) at one point,” Drabek said, “ ‘I’m glad I’m getting out of this, but it’s sure no fun pitching like this.’ ”

It was Redus who turned out to be the offensive hero--an unlikely one, since he entered the game batting .198 with only two RBIs. Not only had he gone without a home run this season, but he also had only three extra-base hits.

So what happened?

Redus matched his extra-base hit total in one night, going three for four with a homer and two runs scored.

Redus’ heroics began when he led off the game with a double off the left-field wall. Jay Bell followed with a double to right, but Redus was kept at third, thinking that right fielder Tony Gwynn might make a play. And after Mitch Webster’s strikeout, Lloyd McClendon singled up the middle to score Redus and Bell.

With one out in the third, Redus hit a line drive over the left-field fence to give the Pirates a 3-0 lead.

The Padres didn’t get untracked until the eighth, and when when Fernandez and Gwynn led off with consecutive hits. Leyland decided he wasn’t going to tempt fate again. He brought in left-hander Bob Kipper, who retired McGriff on a grounder to first. He then brought in right-hander Stan Belinda, who gave up run-scoring singles to Tefuel and Santiago.

But with one out, and pinch-runner Thomas Howard the tying run at second, Jerald Clark flied out to right and Scott Coolbaugh struck out for the third time.