Tuesday, April 18, 2000 | 10:46 a.m.
Stan Spencer seems to be making the most of his second chance with the San Diego Padres' organization.
Following an injury-plagued 1999 campaign that saw Spencer compile an 0-7 record and 9.16 ERA in nine games with the Padres and just a 5-4 mark and 5.47 ERA at triple-A Las Vegas, the 30-year-old right-hander from Stanford found himself a free agent.
"In the off-season, the Padres took me off their 40-man roster," Spencer said. "I was a free agent then. There were five or six teams calling."
But Spencer made a somewhat surprising move, deciding against moving on to another organization and instead signing a minor league contract with the Padres again in late January.
"They talked me into coming back here," Spencer said. "It just seemed like the best opportunity to come back here. That's something they kept stressing to me. And I felt they were very sincere.
"Yeah, it was kind of a tough decision. In some ways you have to swallow some pride. When a team cuts you loose and then tries to re-sign you, you feel a little like you've been slapped in the face. It took me a while to swallow my pride and come back here. But I think it was the right decision and I plan to make the most of it."
So far, so good.
Spencer (2-0) has been simply sensational in his first two starts with the Stars, yielding just five hits and one run in 11 innings en route to a 0.82 ERA. He has struck out 11 batters while walking just one.
"You can't ask for anything more than what this guy has done so far," Stars manager Duane Espy said. "He's had two quality outings. He's thrown all his pitches in all situations for strikes. And he's located the ball well."
If Spencer continues to perform at that pace, he just might find himself in a Padres uniform again after all.
"My mind-set is that this is where I pitch and that there's really nothing above me," Spencer said. "I don't worry about (returning to the big leagues). I think guys get in a lot of trouble worrying about stuff like that. I need to be focused here and not be distracted about what is going on up there."
* TOLLBERG SPARKLES: It's very rare that a team pitches a shutout in Cashman Field. It's even rarer a team pitches a shutout when the wind is blowing 25 to 30 mph out to left and center field.
But that's what happened on Monday night when the Stars blanked New Orleans, 3-0.
"A great pitching job by everybody," Espy said. "We got a 3-0 shutout with a hurricane blowing out."
Starter Brian Tollberg (1-0) was particularly impressive, needing just 58 pitches to pitch five shutout innings, allowing just three singles while striking out four.
Tollberg could have gone longer but was pulled by Espy when he felt some stiffness in his back.
"We decided not to take a chance and just be safe," Espy said.
* GAME RECAP: Leftfielder Dusty Allen continued his hot hitting with two doubles and a triple to back the combined four-hit pitching of Brian Tollberg, Dan Serafini, Matt Whiteside and Brandon Kolb as the Stars (5-3) blanked the New Orleans Zephyrs, 3-0, on Monday night at Cashman Field.
* UP NEXT: The Stars continue their homestand tonight at 7:05 when they open a four-game series against the Salt Lake Buzz, the triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Right-hander Junior Herndon (1-0, 1.80) starts for the Stars against right-hander Jason Ryan (1-0, 3.60). The series continues with a 12:15 p.m. Businessman's Special on Wednesday afternoon with right-hander Rodrigo Lopez (0-0, 1.80) opposing Salt Lake lefty Benj Sampson (1-0, 4.50). The two teams also play Thursday night and Friday night at 7:05.
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