Benes Puts His Streak in Focus : Baseball: Pitcher didn’t expect to have such a change in fortune. The Padres stop the Houston Astros, 3-0.

HOUSTON —  Baseball scouts will tell you his fastball has improved drastically. The Padre coaching staff will tell you his control has flourished. Fans will tell you the Padres finally are scoring runs for him.

When your name is Andy Benes, and you have won eight consecutive starts--the latest being a 3-0 victory Monday night over the Houston Astros--it’s only natural to have everyone scurrying for answers.

This is a guy who was 4-10 with a 4.18 ERA just two months ago. If not for all of the Padres’ injuries, he might have pitched himself out of the rotation. Maybe back to the minors.

Now there’s no pitcher in the major leagues performing better. Benes (12-10)--who allowed five hits in 7 1/3 innings before giving way to Craig Lefferts--has equalled the longest winning streak by a National League pitcher this season.

During this streak, Benes is 8-0 with a 1.59 ERA, including an 0.68 ERA in his past five starts. And in his eight victories he has a 0.58 ERA.

The latest victory, in front of a season-low audience of 5,528 at the Astrodome, was the Padres’ sixth consecutive, tying their season-high. The pitching staff, which has a 0.49 ERA during the streak, has enabled the Padres to move to two games over .500 (70-68) for the first time since June 25.

Forget the Padres’ resurgence. It’s Benes’ comeback that has everyone talking. He now is just only three victories shy of the franchise record of 11 consecutive victories, set in 1985 by Andy Hawkins and LaMarr Hoyt.

And to think, this guy is a 24-year-old who has pitched less than 2 1/2 years in the big leagues.

“I don’t think anyone thought anything like this would happen,” Benes said. “I certainly didn’t.”

So what gives? How can a guy look like Calvin Schiraldi one day, and Sandy Koufax two months later?

Let Benes reveal his well-kept secret.

It happened a few days after the All-Star break. Benes had just been demoted to being No. 5 in the starting rotation. He had lost yet another game and was moping around the clubhouse.

“Basically, I was feeling sorry for myself,” Benes said. “I was frustrated and upset, and everyone around me knew it. I wasn’t too popular.”

Veteran starter Bruce Hurst, growing irritated by Benes’ mood, finally snapped at the young pitcher. Although Hurst doesn’t swear, the exchange was nasty. In so many words, he told Benes to grow up.

Benes, who occasionally does swear, snapped right back. They were face-to-face, and hurriedly departed one another’s company.

“We had words, and it got kind of bad,” Benes said. “Bruce really let me have it. We both walked away really mad at each other.

“Later on, a couple of guys later walked up to Bruce, and said, ‘Bruce, aren’t you planning on apologizing to Andy.’ He said, ‘No, no way.’

“ ‘It’s up to Andy to lift himself up and turn himself around. He can be a good pitcher, or he keep that same attitude and have a miserable season.’

“We started to talk it out, and Lefty (Lefferts) was there. Bruce said, ‘It’s all up to you Andy. The coaches can’t do it for you. I can’t do it for you. It’s up to you. What are you going to do?’

“Then Lefty started talking to me. It was their way of getting me going, and I can say this, I wouldn’t be pitching like I am without them.

“They turned everything around for me.”

Said Lefferts: “This is a young kid who’s had success everywhere he’s been his whole life, and didn’t know how to handle it. I told him he had the ability, but you can’t do it through sheer ability. You’ve got to have the right mental outlook, too.”

Funny what a little get-together can do to a man’s psyche.

It might be ironic then, while Benes wasn’t sharp as usual because of the flu, along came Lefferts to the rescue. Benes left with a 1-0 lead in the eighth, one out, and a runner on second. Lefferts came in and promptly retired all five batters he faced for his 20th save.

“This is the best I’ve pitched all year, too,” said Lefferts, who has extended his shutout streak to a season-high 8 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run. “I worked out my mechanical flaws, and everything feels great again. But really, I’m most happy for Andy.

“I think everyone on this team is excited for him.”

The Padres scored the only run they needed in the second inning, courtesy of shortstop Andujar Cedeno’s throwing error. That allowed Tim Teufel to score from second. It was the first of five throwing errors during the game; the Astros had three.

It was the only offense the Padres could muster during Astro starter Mark Portugal’s eight-inning stint. Portugal retired 19 of the next 21 batters and prevented the Padres from reaching second base until he was removed in the eighth for a pinch-hitter.

The Padres used the break to put the game away in the ninth on a run-scoring double by Fred McGriff and a sacrifice fly by Darrin Jackson.

“It’s amazing how everything’s changed for me,” Benes said. “It used to be I always waited for something bad to happen. It was like I knew something was going to happen, and it was always going to be bad.

“Now, I’ve got more confidence than I ever had.”

Yes, you can ask anybody.

“I remember when he was so down in the dumps,” agent Scott Boras said, “and I always was bringing up Jim Abbott (of the Angels) to him. He was off to an 0-4 record, and everyone wanted to send him to the minor leagues. Now look at him. People want to nominate him for the Cy Young.

“Andy’s just like most power-pitchers, coming on strong at the end of the year. There never has been any doubt in my mind he could be one of the premier pitchers in the league.

“Now, Andy sees how good he can become, too, and that makes all the difference in the world.

“It’s funny. I think he used to have the mentality that, ‘I hope I get some runs early, so I can have a cushion to work with.’

“Now it’s, ‘I’m going to shut them down, and let the team do what they have to do.’

“You know something, I think this might just be the beginning.”