"Miguel Tejada believes playing 97 games for the Baltimore Orioles at third base this season could help him down the stretch as the Padres shortstop.

"I think I'm fresher now than I've been in the past after this many games," Tejada, 36, said Thursday afternoon after helping beat the Pirates at Petco Park with his bat and glove.

He drove in the only run the Padres needed with a third-inning double. And he made a key stop behind second and threw out Pirates pitcher Zach Duke at first to kill a possible Pittsburgh rally.

Tejada has yet to make an error in 11 starts at short for the Padres.

"I love playing short," said Tejada, who had been a shortstop throughout his career before the Orioles moved him to third base this spring. The rap on Tejada was that he had lost some range at short.

The Padres haven't seen that.

"Miggy has looked good at short," said Padres manager Bud Black. "He's a veteran. He knows how to position himself. He has instincts for the game."

Tejada employs a personal trainer and works out daily before getting to the ballpark.

He has enjoyed his fresh start with the Padres."