BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Park Going Down After Bad Game?

Dodger pitcher Chan Ho Park comprehends and speaks English just fine these days, and in case of emergencies, keeps his computer translator nearby.

Yet, no matter what the language, he couldn’t find the words to describe his feelings Thursday.

“Bad,” he said, “I think it was a bad day. My arm felt good. I just didn’t pitch good.”

Park’s hopes of winning a spot in the rotation were severely damaged when he yielded nine hits--including three homers by Rico Brogna--and seven earned runs in the Dodgers’ 10-8 loss to the New York Mets at Vero Beach, Fla.

The Dodgers weren’t prepared to announce a decision on Park’s fate, but team officials said that he probably will open the season in triple-A Albuquerque. Park is expected to pitch again Monday in the spring-training finale, but it’s unknown whether he’ll have the opportunity to change the Dodgers’ mind.

“He was not on today; he made pitches that hurt him,” Manager Tom Lasorda said. “He had good stuff, but he made bad pitches.”

Lasorda also confirmed that Park will be used only as a starter, whether in Albuquerque or Los Angeles.

It now appears that the fifth job will go to Ismael Valdes, who will join Ramon Martinez, Tom Candiotti, Pedro Astacio and Hideo Nomo in the rotation. The Dodgers will need a fifth starter only twice in the first three weeks because of off-days, which would allow Valdes to return to the bullpen when not needed.

Valdes, who relieved Park after 3 2/3 innings, gave up only one hit in his 2 1/3 innings. Held back a day because of a blister on his finger, he is yielding an .071 batting average this spring and has yet to allow a run in 4 1/3 innings.

“He can pitch,” pitching coach Dave Wallace said. “He just went out there and shut the game down.

“You’ve got to remember, (Park) is a young guy. He’s going through that natural learning process. What did it take Sandy (Koufax), seven years? We tend to forget that.”

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The Dodgers have decided to carry 12 pitchers for the first three weeks, but they still can’t find a left-handed reliever to join Omar Daal in the bullpen. Ed Vosberg and Al Osuna struggled once again. Vosberg gave up three hits and two earned runs in one-third of an inning, and Osuna gave up three hits and one run in 1 2/3 innings, including a run-scoring single to pitcher Mike Remlinger.

The Dodgers are expected to immediately ask release waivers on Vosberg, who was acquired for $50,000 in the Rule 5 draft, and must now decide whether to keep Osuna or Rob Murphy (7.36 earned-run average).

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Three days after lining into an unassisted triple play, pinch-hitter Mitch Webster hit a grand slam in the sixth inning. “You better not look at your score sheet when I’m hitting,” Webster said. . . . Third baseman Tim Wallach and shortstop Dick Schofield made their spring-training debuts. Wallach, bothered by bulging disks in his back, went one for two. Schofield, who wasn’t signed until last week, was hitless in three at-bats. “It’s been a long time since I last played, eight months,” he said. “It felt a little foreign.”