Dodgers Refuse to Let Park Get Aced Out

By BILL SHAIKIN

Aug. 31, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Get the lead after five innings, get the starting pitcher out, and get the game into the hands of your bullpen.

The Dodgers followed that formula to victory Thursday. And, if the starting pitcher is making a spot start, or if he is a kid up from the minor leagues, that’s a nice little formula.

If the starting pitcher is Chan Ho Park, that’s a bit disturbing. Although the Dodgers got home runs from Adrian Beltre, Chad Kreuter and Gary Sheffield in a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies, and although Terry Mulholland, Matt Herges and Jeff Shaw teamed for 31/3 scoreless innings of relief, their would-be ace struggled.

The Dodgers jumped one step in the National League West race, closing within 41/2 games of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They treaded water in the NL wild-card race, remaining 11/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs and one game behind the San Francisco Giants.

Shaw, who gave up four hits in the ninth inning Tuesday and blew the save, pitched a scoreless ninth Thursday for his league-leading 38th save. That zero might have been the most difficult one for Shaw to get this season, and it might well have been the one that saved the Dodgers’ season.

The Rockies dispatched Alex Ochoa as a pinch-hitter to lead off the ninth inning, and Shaw walked him on four pitches. Larry Walker singled Ochoa to third base, and Colorado suddenly had the tying run at third and the go-ahead run at first with none out.

Todd Helton, who hit his 41st home run earlier in the evening, fouled off 12 consecutive pitches. On the 16th pitch of his plate appearance, with a 3-2 count, Helton swung and missed, and the crowd of 36,254 stood and roared.

Jeff Cirillo then grounded to Shaw, who threw home to Kreuter as the Dodgers trapped Ochoa off third base. Shaw then struck out Juan Uribe for the final out.

With the Rockies threatening to sweep the series, the Dodgers needed a dominant performance from Park. He believes--and the Dodgers do too--that he can be a special pitcher, one that stops losing streaks, one that carries his teammates atop his shoulders when necessary.

Instead, the Dodgers had to carry Park on Thursday. The Dodgers rallied to tie the score in the bottom of the third inning; Park gave up a run in the top of the fourth. The Dodgers rallied to tie the score in the bottom of the fourth; Park gave up a run in the top of the fifth. The Dodgers rallied to take a one-run lead in the bottom of the fifth; they yanked Park with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth.

In all, the Rockies put 13 runners on base against Park--eight hits, four walks and a hit batter--in 52/3 innings.

After consecutive losses to the last-place Rockies, the last thing the Dodgers needed was an early deficit. However, the Rockies jumped on Park for two runs, and a 2-0 lead, in the second inning. Cirillo led off the inning with a home run. Park struck out the next two hitters, but the following four reached base. Two of those four walked, including Colorado pitcher Denny Neagle. After the second walk, six of the first 11 Colorado hitters had reached base, and the crowd booed.

The Dodgers got one run back in the second and another in the third, tying the score, 2-2. The Rockies promptly retook the lead in the fourth, on a triple by Juan Pierre and an RBI ground out by Jose Ortiz.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Dodgers tied the score, 3-3, on Sheffield’s 33rd home run--and 1,000th career run batted in.

The Rockies promptly retook the lead in the top of the fifth--when the very first batter, Helton, homered.

The crowd booed again.

In 16 games against the Dodgers this season, Helton has hit eight home runs and driven in 21 runs.

Neagle (8-7) lost for the first time since Aug. 1, giving up five runs and six hits--five for extra bases--in seven innings.