Padres Ailing In Major Way With Gwynn, Caminiti Out

The last thing the foundering San Diego Padres needed to see was their two biggest stars hobbling around before the start of a four-game series with the Colorado Rockies.

Tony Gwynn, the second-hottest hitter in the major leagues coming into Thursday, was wearing a boot-like splint on his right foot to immobilize his inflamed right Achilles tendon. Ken Caminiti, the reigning N.L. MVP, was limping after straining his left hamstring Wednesday night.

Gwynn said he hoped he would be back Saturday or Sunday, but it’s likely that both he and Caminiti will miss the entire series. General manager Kevin Towers said Caminiti could be out longer than Gwynn. The defending N.L. West champion Padres lost 8-4 to Colorado on Thursday, their fifth straight loss and 11th in 14 games.

The loss of Gwynn, who’s hitting .393, means no showdown with Larry Walker, whose .416 average is the best in the bigs. Gwynn, a seven-time N.L. batting champion, had been above .400 from May 27-June 12.

The only good news was that Gwynn’s injury isn’t as severe as the Achilles injury that forced him to miss 30 games last season.

“I’m fine with it; everyone else is panicking,” Gwynn said. “I’ll be back in there before they know it.”

Interleague play a hit

Designed to create more interest in baseball, the first week of interleague play was a big hit at the gate. Attendance was up 35 percent for the A.L.-N.L. matchups, with the 84 games drawing an average of 34,922 fans.

The Subway Series in New York and the Windy City rivalry in Chicago each set attendance records, while Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and San Francisco also had strong showings. Of the 28 major league teams, only San Diego and Minnesota did not show increases.

“Interleague play has been phenomenal for baseball,” Mets owner Fred Wilpon said.

Said Giants owner Peter Magowan: “The second phase might not be as strong as the first phase. I hope it will be.”