By Tom Krasovic
STAFF WRITER

April 12, 2008

LOS ANGELES – Jake Peavy had defeated the Dodgers 10 times in 11 decisions before he faced them last night, but like a fisherman who remembers the big trout that got away, Peavy has talked of failing to hold a 4-0 lead at Dodger Stadium in September 2006.

As it turned out, that wasn't close to being the craziest thing that happened that night. There would be four consecutive home runs off Dodgers bats in the ninth inning. What's more, while Peavy was still in the game, he and Dodgers first base coach Mariano Duncan got into a heated argument after Duncan accosted Peavy between the mound and the dugout.

“You can't print what he said,” Peavy said later.

Several Padres were ticked off at Duncan, saying he was trying to talk Peavy off his game.

Not so one of the Dodgers' pitchers.

“I loved it,” Greg Maddux said this week. “I was on the other team, and I thought it was cool.

“Then I came over here and I was like, 'Man, that was weak,' ” he said, laughing.

If Duncan-Peavy had been part of a Red Sox-Yankees matchup, much would have been made of the rivalry aspect between the clubs, but Maddux, who has been with the Padres the past two seasons, said he doesn't sense a Dodgers-Padres rivalry.

“(Duncan) said Peavy yelled at him,” Maddux said. “At the time, I thought Peavy probably was yelling at Mariano, but having played with Peav, I'm certain he yelled at himself.”

Barrett will need time

Manager Bud Black said catcher Michael Barrett is unlikely to throw in the next 10 days, another sign Barrett will not be ready when he is first eligible to come off the disabled list on April 23. Barrett, who rejoined the team yesterday, said an accumulation of wear and tear came to a head during the chilly day at San Francisco, where he struggled to throw to Maddux and to second base in warm-ups. “I don't think it was one particular throw that triggered anything,” Barrett said.

A stress test raised concerns that the ligament damage could be severe, and Barrett said “every thought of every kind of injury” ran through his head. Then an MRI exam revealed that, according to the club, he should recover in 6-8 weeks. “I'm optimistic this is a very, very mild elbow strain,” Barrett said.

Notes

Padres hitting coach Wally Joyner wasn't complaining but said the mound at San Francisco's park is unusually high, higher than last season, maybe higher than any he's seen. Joyner was perplexed that a member of the Giants grounds crew said, “The mound isn't higher, the field's lower.” How high is the Giants' mound? “From the dugout, I couldn't see (third baseman Kevin) Kouzmanoff,” Joyner joked. Pitchers prefer higher mounds, and the Giants' lone strength is pitching.

Clay Hensley clocked at 89-91 mph in a 22-pitch inning at extended spring training, Hensley's first game since he had surgery to repair his labrum.

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Tom Krasovic: (619) 293-2207; tom.krasovic@uniontrib.com

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