Park Holds Up on His End but Infield Lets Him Down

Chan Ho Park pitched well enough to accomplish a personal goal Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.

But his teammates were too helpful--to the Colorado Rockies.

They committed three errors that led to two unearned runs in a 5-4 loss before an announced crowd of 29,702.

“I think it was just bad luck today,” Park said. “Everybody tried until the end of the game, so I don’t feel bad.”

Shortstop Mark Grudzielanek was the only member of the Dodger infield who didn’t commit an error as Park (13-9) pitched his second complete game of the season and fourth of his career. Park was trying to match his personal best for victories established last season when he went 14-8 with a 3.38 earned-run average in his first season as a full-time starter.

The Dodgers rallied against Colorado closer Jerry Dipoto in the ninth, cutting their deficit to one run on a leadoff home run by Charles Johnson off the left-field foul pole. With one out, Trenidad Hubbard doubled down the right-field line while pinch-hitting for Park.

Hubbard went to third when Roger Cedeno flied out to center with Jim Eisenreich on deck. Eisenreich singled twice in four at-bats before the ninth, but he lined out to shortstop Neifi Perez to end the game.

Dipoto nailed down his 19th save and the victory for starter Darryl Kile (12-16). Kile pitched seven strong innings, giving up 10 hits and three runs. He struck out three and walked one, throwing 96 pitches, 60 for strikes.

Park gave up seven hits and five runs--three earned. He struck out eight and walked four, throwing 137 pitches, 89 for strikes.

“I thought I threw too many pitches,” Park said. “I’ve thrown a lot of pitches [in his last six starts] but I felt pretty strong today.”

The Dodgers first provided help to the Rockies in the third. With none out, Colorado loaded the bases on two singles and a walk.

After Curtis Goodwin struck out, Perez grounded to second baseman Juan Castro. Castro is typically a dazzling fielder, but his throw eluded Grudzielanek at second.

The Dodgers might have turned an inning-ending double play, but the Rockies instead scored twice--one run was earned--to tie the score, 2-2. Colorado took a 3-2 lead with one out in the fifth when first baseman Eric Karros committed an error on another grounder by Perez, and Angel Echevarria scored.

Leading, 4-3, in the ninth, the Rockies scored their final run on an error--leading to another unearned run--by third baseman Bobby Bonilla. Perez doubled with two out and scored from second when Bonilla couldn’t handle Dante Bichette’s hard grounder, closing the Rockies’ scoring.

The Dodgers staked Park to a 2-0 lead in the first. Cedeno, filling in well in the leadoff role for injured second baseman Eric Young, opened the inning by singling to center, his first of three singles.

Cedeno went to third when Eisenreich singled to left, and Eisenreich went to second when Colorado rookie left fielder Derrick Gibson tried to throw out Cedeno at third. That put runners at first and third with none out against Kile, who has struggled in his first season with the club.

Karros put the Dodgers ahead, 1-0, with a sacrifice fly, driving in Cedeno. Eisenreich scored two batters later on Raul Mondesi’s one-out sacrifice fly, which established a new personal best in runs batted in for Mondesi.

The outfielder leads the Dodgers with 30 home runs and 89 RBIs. Mondesi had 88 RBIs in 1995 and ’96.

He drove in 87 runs last season while becoming the first Dodger to hit at least 30 homers with 30 stolen bases in a season.

“Yeah, I’ve got a lot [of RBIs], but the team didn’t win a lot of games,” said Mondesi, who has been slowed by recurring back pain in the second half of the Dodgers’ disappointing season.

“I want to get that [homers and RBIs], yeah, but I want the team to win a lot of games. That’s what the team needs, to have everybody get RBIs to win a lot of games.”

That didn’t occur often enough Tuesday.

The Dodgers scored their third run against Kile in the fifth on a two-out single by Bonilla.