Dodgers Are at Home With Park

Chan Ho Park merely shrugged when asked about his five-game winning streak.

Adrian Beltre said he was glad to shake off the rust of the disabled list.

Eric Karros simply called it a good win for the Dodgers.

Surely it was more than that, especially for a team that hasn’t exactly been setting the baseball world on fire in its home park.

Sparked by another strong pitching performance by Park and home runs from Beltre and Karros, the Dodgers turned the tide on their recent home woes with a series-salvaging 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday in front of 50,713 at Dodger Stadium.

“Chan Ho pitched very good,” Dodger Manager Davey Johnson said.

“He had some hand cramping in the sixth and seventh but I just got the feeling that the cramp comes and goes, otherwise I would have gone with him longer.”

Park (9-4) won his fifth in a row after going seven innings and giving up three runs and seven hits while striking out nine.

He did not walk a batter, the first time he has not issued a free pass in 15 starts this year, but hit a batter.

Mike Fetters worked a scoreless eighth and newly-reinstated closer Jeff Shaw picked up his team-leading 12th save, his first since May 19, with a perfect ninth, which included two strikeouts.

Park, who struck out a career-high 12 batters the last time he faced the Cardinals, a 3-1 Dodger win on May 13 at Busch Stadium, said he remembered the feeling he had that day as he took the mound Sunday.

“Just one pitch at a time,” Park said. “Winning makes everything better--confidence, comfortable, no stress.

“The good experience in St. Louis helped today. I felt like we had a chance to win.”

The National League Central Division-leading Cardinals (39-29) jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when McGwire drove a down-and-in, 3-and-1 Park fastball 425 feet into the right-field pavilion for a two-run homer.

It was McGwire’s 25th homer of the season and the 547th homer of his career, one behind Mike Schmidt for seventh on the all-time list.

Karros cut the deficit in half with his solo shot in the second, adding to his total as Los Angeles home run king when he drove a 2-and-2 fastball from St. Louis starter Darryl Kile deep into the left-field pavilion.

It was Karros’ 20th homer, tying him with Gary Sheffield for the team lead, and 231st of his career, 11 behind Roy Campenella for third place on the all-time Dodger franchise home run list.

With the blast, Karros also became the fourth Dodger to have at least 20 home runs in six consecutive seasons, joining Gil Hodges [11 seasons], Duke Snider [9] and Ron Cey [6].

But if Karros’ bomb helped Park relax, the Dodgers’ third-inning exploits made him downright giddy.

The Dodgers (36-31) sent eight batters to the plate in a five-run third, which began with a Park single.

With Todd Hollandsworth on first courtesy of a fielder’s choice, Mark Grudzielanek singled to right. J.D. Drew’s throw to third to get Hollandsworth missed badly and skipped out of play into the photographers’ well, allowing Hollandsworth to score and Grudzielanek to move to third.

Sheffield followed with a foul-out down the right-field line, allowing Grudzielanek to scamper home just before Drew’s throw reached the plate.

Shawn Green followed with a flare single just out of the reach of second baseman Placido Polanco, extending Green’s streak of reaching base to 49 straight games.

It also preceded a walk to Karros and, when Kile hung a 1-and-2 curve to Beltre, a three-run homer.

“[Kile] has a great curve that, sometimes, even if you wait on it, you still can’t get it,” said Beltre, who came off the disabled list Saturday. “I think I let them know that I’m back.”

Kile (10-4) took the loss after giving up six runs and six hits in six innings.

He walked three and struck out two.

The Cardinals got one back from Park in the seventh when Eli Marrero singled in Craig Paquette, who had doubled.

But with Park in a groove and the bullpen getting back up to speed, the Dodgers were able to even their home record at 17-17 while pulling within three games of the Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, who were in a virtual tie for first after the Rockies’ 19-2 win Sunday.

And with the way the Dodgers have been playing on the road--only the Cardinals and Atlanta Braves have won as many road games as the Dodgers, 19--they can’t wait to start this week’s six-game road trip in Houston and St. Louis.