Spencer boosts record to 4-0

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, May 3, 2000 | 10:31 a.m.

Stan Spencer's timing couldn't have been any better.

With San Diego Padres director of player development Tye Waller in the stands -- and just hours after the Padres learned that another starting pitcher, Woody Williams, may be done for the season -- Spencer improved his record to 4-0 with another solid outing.

He led the Stars over the Tucson Sidewinders, 8-3, at Cashman Field on Tuesday night.

Spencer, who entered the game with a 1.96 ERA and with 28 strikeouts in 23 innings, allowed just six hits and one earned run in six innings. He struck out six and walked two.

"The guy has been just absolutely terrific," Stars manager Duane Espy said. "He's commanding his fastball. He's able to throw strikes with his breaking ball and his changeup. He's working both sides of the plate. He's putting on a pitching clinic right now."

With two former members of the Stars rotation -- Rodrigo Lopez and Buddy Carlyle -- already in San Diego, it would seem only a matter of time before Spencer gets another shot with the Padres.

"He's pitching well," Waller said. "(San Diego's) pitching is breaking down. That's why you play triple-A baseball. You're looking to get that big league opportunity.

"Right now he'd have to be up there on the list (of candidates to be called up) the way he's pitching. Plus he has some experience at that level."

Right-hander Rodney Myers, due to come off the disabled list later this week, will likely take Williams' spot on the Padres' roster.

Spencer, who went 0-7 in nine games with San Diego last season, said he was unaware of Williams' injury (an aneurysm under the right armpit) but said he tries to "approach every game the same."

"I try not to think about (going back to the major leagues)," he said. "I just try (to) go out there each time and do my job. If you think about the other stuff, you can get yourself in trouble."

* RIVERA TO REHAB: Ruben Rivera will spend tonight and Thursday night playing center field for the Stars as part of an injury rehab assignment for the Padres.

Rivera has been sidelined for a month with what has been diagnosed as reactive arthritis. The illness was triggered by an inflammation that attacked the areas of two small unrelated injuries -- a left wrist that was hit by a pitch on April 7 and a slight right ankle sprain (April 8).

The Padres want Rivera to join their team on Friday night in Phoenix, where they can use his right-handed bat in the lineup against red-hot lefty Randy Johnson.

* DAVIS INJURED: Stars catcher Ben Davis left Tuesday night's game in the sixth inning with muscle spasms in his back.

"I swung and came out of the box and it just kind of locked up on me," said Davis, who had a two-run first-inning single. "The trainer tried to stretch me out and stuff and I went out and caught the next inning, but I was hurting."

Davis is listed as day-to-day.

* LATE START: Tuesday night's game started 30 minutes after its scheduled 7:05 starting time so that the Cashman Field grounds crew could get in some extra work preparing the infield.

Stars officials said a timer malfunction kept the sprinklers on for almost eight hours on Monday night, leaving a number of muddy puddles on the outer fringes of the infield.

Luckily, temperatures near triple digits helped the drying-out process and the infield was almost completely dry by game time.

* GAME RECAP: The Stars (14-8) parlayed five hits, including a Dusty Allen home run, and three walks into a five-run sixth inning in their victory over Tucson.

* UP NEXT: Game 2 of the series with Tucson is tonight at 7:05 at Cashman. Right-hander Brian Tollberg (1-0, 2.37 ERA) is scheduled to start for Las Vegas against Sidewinders right-hander Nelson Figueroa (4-0, 1.67).