Park Comes Up Empty Trying to Craft a Shutout

MONTREAL â€”  Dodger right-hander Chan Ho Park was selected the National League pitcher of the month for July.

But the third-year starter acknowledged Tuesday night he still has much to learn after collapsing in the eighth inning of a 5-4 loss to the Montreal Expos in 10 innings at Olympic Stadium.

F.P. Santangelo scored the winning run from second base on Chris Widger’s two-out single to left against loser Darren Hall (0-3). That completed the Expos’ comeback from a 4-0, eighth-inning deficit before an appreciative crowd of 10,515.

“We needed to put them away,� Manager Glenn Hoffman said. “We had a 4-0 lead and Chan Ho was sailing along, and then they came back with four. This was a tough one.�

Second baseman Wilton Guerrero doubled in five at-bats, scored the tying run in the eighth and had a run-scoring groundout in his first game against his former team. Guerrero was traded to the Expos on Friday in a seven-player deal that brought left-handed starter Carlos Perez and shortstop Mark Grudzielanek--who was booed throughout Tuesday’s game--to the Dodgers.

Raul Mondesi, the Dodgers’ center fielder, was forced to leave in the eighth inning because of recurring back pain.

The Dodgers continue to stumble despite stocking their roster with talent, dropping to 58-55 in losing to a franchise dismantling itself. Meanwhile, Chicago defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 2-0, Tuesday, so the Dodgers dropped 5 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the NL wild-card derby.

Park accepted the blame for a costly loss.

“That was stupid,� Park said of his late-game performance. “I tried to be too perfect, and I wound up hurting the team. I should know better than that, but I wasn’t thinking.�

Park looked the part of the NL’s best pitcher during the first seven innings Tuesday. He was selected for the award in voting by baseball writers after going 4-0 with a 1.05 earned-run average during six starts in July, and his first start in August began well.

He gave up four hits--three singles and a double--through seven scoreless innings, striking out five. Park retired the side in order in the first, third, fifth and seventh.

The Dodgers staked Park to a 4-0 lead on a run-scoring single by Charles Johnson in the second, a run-scoring double by Mondesi in the third and a two-run single by Eric Karros in the seventh. Mondesi just missed a home run when the ball hit the top of the wall in left and bounced back in play.

Then with the comfortable cushion, Park admittedly got greedy.

He was determined to complete his first career shutout, so he tried to throw perfect pitches on the corners.

The Expos quickly loaded the bases against Park with two singles and a walk in the eighth. Park’s night ended when leadoff batter Terry Jones walked to force in Montreal’s first run.

The Expos tied the score in the inning with relievers Scott Radinsky and Antonio Osuna on the mound. Guerrero scored the tying run on a one-out, groundout by his younger brother, Vladimir.

Park failed to retire a batter in the eighth and was charged with the runs. He gave up six hits and struck out five with three walks.

Hoffman declined to use Jeff Shaw because the Dodger closer had pitched in four of the five previous games. Hall entered the game in the 10th and encountered trouble after retiring the first two batters. Santangelo pinch-hit for winner Steve Kline (2-3) and Hall hit him with a pitch.

Santangelo stole second with Widger batting and scored easily on Widger’s drive over the head of left fielder Roger Cedeno.

“I was thinking about getting the shutout when I should have been just doing what I needed to do to win,� Park said. “I was trying to be too perfect, but I learned from this.�

The Dodgers can’t afford costly lessons now.