Soothing Seven-Year Itch
Park Solid in First Start for Dodgers Since 2001
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Park Chan-ho allowed two runs over four innings in his first big league start in more than a year, as the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the cross-town rival Angels 6-3 Saturday to hand Ervin Santana his first loss of the season.
The 34-year-old right-hander, who last started for the Dodgers at the peak of his career in 2001, allowed three hits and two walks and was tagged for an earned run.
He was one of three Dodger pitchers to keep the potent Angels hitters at bay, with Kuo Hong-chih, currently competing with Park for a job as the fifth starter, delivering four shutout innings and Takashi Saito pitching a one-run ninth to seal the win in Anaheim.
``Park did a great job, but that one inning (the Angels' two-run fourth), he had to get too many outs and we gave them too many opportunities," Dodgers manager Joe Torre told the Associated Press.
``I'm just glad we were able to hold it together from that point on because the momentum certainly had switched in that inning," he said.
Santana (6-1) gave up four runs on five hits in six innings. He was coming off his worst start of the season, allowing nine hits and five runs over 5 2/3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays last Sunday.
Dodgers third baseman Blake DeWitt batted 2-for-4, including a two-run homer in the second inning, and scored twice. Andre Ethier, Russell Martin and Luis Maza each drove in a run.
Park has been solid for a non-risk pickup by the Dodgers this season, signing a minor league contract and pitching effectively out of the bullpen en route to going 1-0 with a 2.17 ERA.
He certainly looked better than the pitcher he was when he last made a start in the majors, surrendering seven runs over four innings in what turned out to be his first and last start for the New York Mets on April 30 last year.
Park started Saturday's game by walking Reggie Willits but escaped the first inning by getting a double play from Vladimir Guerrero.
With DeWitt's two-run shot giving him the lead in the top of the second, Park allowed a double to Garret Anderson in the bottom of the inning, but struck out Casey Kotchman, induced Maicer Izturis into a fly out and fanned Robb Quinlan to end the threat.
Park retired the side in the third, but failed to sustain his effectiveness in the fourth. After allowing Guerrero to advanced to first on a hit-by-pitch, Park gave up a single to center by Anderson to put runners on first and third with one out.
Dodgers first baseman James Loney then committed a throwing error on a grounder by Kotchman to allow Guerrero to score. Then Anderson reached home on a grounder to first by Izturis.
Park allowed a single to Quinlan and walked Jeff Mathis, but retired Mathis at second on a grounder by Erick Aybar to finish the fourth.