Cunnane gets the call from Padres

Steve Guiremand

Friday, May 19, 2000 | 9:51 a.m.

While the rest of his teammates had to be at McCarran International Airport at 5 this morning to catch a 6 a.m. flight for Calgary, Las Vegas Stars pitcher Will Cunnane was able to sleep in.

The hard-throwing 26-year-old right-hander caught a later flight for Atlanta instead after getting called up to the major leagues by the San Diego Padres.

Cunnane, who began the season as a reliever with the Padres, will make his first start of the season for San Diego on Saturday night against the defending National League champion Braves.

Depending on how well he performs, Cunnane could stick around for at least two more starts as a fifth starter on the injury-plagued Padres' staff.

Cunnane started eight games for San Diego in 1997 and compiled a respectable 6-3 record with a 5.81 ERA. But the team decided to make him a reliever the next year, and he spent parts of the last three seasons as a setup man for Trevor Hoffman.

He appeared in 12 games for the Padres this season before being sent down three weeks ago to work on his starting skills again.

Cunnane said he prefers starting over relieving.

"Every year I've been sent down I've asked if I could start and they'd say, 'No,' " Cunnane said. "So I did what they said. But I didn't have to ask this time."

Cunnane learned of the Padres' plans to promote him earlier this week but was told to keep mum. He was on a low pitch count and threw just 28 pitches and allowed four runs in just 2/3 of an inning in the Stars' 11-8 victory over Tacoma on Wednesday afternoon.

"My arm feels good," Cunnane said. "I think I could throw around 90 pitches without much of a problem right now. I'm really looking forward to getting another chance up there."

* BULLISH ON BURROUGHS: The Padres, who haven't produced a regular everyday player from their farm system since Dave Hollins in the early '90s, believe that will change when third baseman Sean Burroughs makes it to the big leagues in a couple of years.

Burroughs, the son of former major league star Jeff Burroughs and a star player on the Long Beach (Calif.) Little League team that won a world championship, began the season at double-A Mobile, where he is hitting .277. However, Ted Simmons, the Padres' new vice president of scouting and player development, said not to expect Burroughs in a Stars uniform any time soon.

"It'll be a while for Sean," Simmons said. "He is only 19 years old and he's playing against men. He's got his head above water, but he's learning and he has some adjustments to make. He's right where he belongs right now. Frankly, there are those who might say we're moving him up a little too fast. But the kid is very talented and is holding his own. But it will be a while before he gets here."

One area Burroughs must improve upon is his power. In his last 112 at-bats, he has no homers and just five doubles.

* GAME RECAP: The Stars (22-15) had their three-game win streak snapped by Tacoma, 11-5, on Thursday night at Cashman Field.

The Rainiers (21-20) had 14 hits, including home runs by first baseman Brian Lesher and second baseman Chris Snopek, and kept Stars starter Buddy Carlyle (0-3) winless in 2000.

* UP NEXT: The Stars open a four-game series at Calgary tonight. Right-hander Brian Tollberg (2-0, 2.35 ERA) will pitch for the Stars and will be opposed by Cannons right-hander Reid Cornelius (1-2, 4.58).

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