A Pleasant Night at Park for Chan Ho and Sheffield

Short sleeves and 76 degrees for a late September game at the ballpark formerly known as Candlestick?

The usually whipping flags in center field limp with no wind wreaking havoc?

How about a second consecutive dominating pitching performance by Chan Ho Park against the Giants, a team that had beaten him up to the tune of a 17.76 earned-run average in two earlier starts this season?

On a strange night--meteorologically and historically--at a strange stadium, Park led the Dodgers to a 6-3 victory over the Giants in front of 34,786 at 3Com Park on Tuesday night. Park improved to 13-10 after going six innings and giving up three hits while striking out eight and walking five. Park matched the Dodgers’ season high set by Kevin Brown in winning his seventh consecutive decision.

Gary Sheffield helped Park out as well, hitting a pair of home runs--his 32nd and 33rd of the year. He got things going in the first inning when he took Giant rookie starter Joe Nathan (7-4) deep with two out.

The Dodgers made it 3-0 with two more runs in the second.

Raul Mondesi led off with a single before Devon White hit his 14th home run of the season, a blast to right-center field.

The Dodgers had a chance to pad their lead with runners at second and third--courtesy of an error by four-time Gold Glove winning first baseman J.T. Snow--but Alex Cora lined out to third to end the threat.

Snow atoned for his gaffe when he took Park deep for his 22nd homer in the bottom of the frame.

Two batters later, Doug Mirabelli doubled. It would be the last hit given up by Park, who also gave up a first-inning double to Barry Bonds.

Holding the 3-1 lead entering the seventh inning, Park was lifted for a pinch-hitter.

Craig Counsell, hitting for Park, singled to lead off the inning and would later score on Cora’s fielder’s choice.

The Dodgers added another run in the eighth, when White scored after doubling, and in the ninth, on Sheffield’s second home run.

*

Ismael Valdes left the Dodgers on Monday morning and returned to his native Victoria, Mexico, after his father was reportedly involved in an automobile accident there. It is not known when Valdes, who was scheduled to pitch against the Giants on Tuesday night, will return to the team.

The news of the accident unnerved Dodger Manager Davey Johnson, who lost his father to cancer in 1984.

Ironically, Johnson, then in his rookie year managing the New York Mets, got the news while on a trip to San Francisco.

“I’m just sorry to hear about the accident,” Johnson said while the Dodgers were taking batting practice Tuesday afternoon. “I hope and pray that he’s all right.”

With Valdes’ status unknown and Brown scheduled to throw against the Giants tonight, Johnson said left-hander Jeff Williams will pitch for the Dodgers in 3Com’s last baseball game Thursday afternoon. As for the Dodgers’ pitching rotation for the season-ending series against the Houston Astros, the Dodger manager said he hadn’t the faintest idea yet.

“Heading into Houston, who’s playing for a playoff spot, you want to put your best foot forward,” Johnson said. “But I don’t even know what that is.”

DODGERS’

KEVIN BROWN

(18-8, 2.92 ERA)

vs.

GIANTS’

LIVAN HERNANDEZ

(7-12, 4.77 ERA)

3Com Park, 7:30 p.m.

TV--Fox Sports West 2.

Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

* Update--Brown, who is 7-2 with a 1.74 ERA while holding opposing batters to a .191 batting average in his last 12 starts, has won eight of his last 10 decisions. Hernandez dropped a 5-3 decision to the Dodgers Thursday and is 0-3 with a 5.19 ERA against the Dodgers in his three-year career.