Park Gets a Painful Reminder

Chan Ho Park was hunched over in pain Friday afternoon. The Dodgers would soon be in trouble too.

The Chicago Cubs’ situation improved when Park was forced to leave a scoreless game in the seventh, capitalizing with a three-run inning in a 4-0 series-opening victory before 27,871 at Wrigley Field.

Park experienced a back spasm on his first pitch to Rondell White with two on and none out, ending his duel with Cub right-hander Kevin Tapani.

After a brief mound conference, Manager Jim Tracy summoned reliever Matt Herges because Park also had spasm problems in a recent bullpen session and has a history of back problems.

White singled to load the bases, and the Cubs took the lead on sacrifice flies by former Dodger Todd Hundley and pinch-hitter Ron Coomer and Damon Buford’s infield single.

Tapani (4-1) had an efficient seven-inning, seven-strikeout performance, throwing 63 strikes in 88 pitches.

Kyle Farnsworth struck out the side in the eighth--including Gary Sheffield to end the inning with runners on first and second--and closer Jeff Fassero worked a perfect ninth to complete the Cubs’ first shutout of the season.

The Dodgers had only four hits after getting 36 in their three previous games against the Cincinnati Reds, and dropped to 2-2 on the trip.

Park’s sore back, though, was a bigger concern.

“He came up with a spasm in his back, and he experienced that the other day [Tuesday in Cincinnati] when he was throwing on the side,” Tracy said. “There was concern the other day, but as the game went on in Cincinnati, [the pain] went away. The same situation came up when he threw the first pitch to Rondell.

“It’s very unfortunate. I don’t know what the outcome of that inning would have been . . . but the way he was throwing the ball. . . .

“Albeit they had first and second and nobody out. But I still think the way he was throwing, he might have been able to make some pitches and get himself out of it.”

Park (3-3) was in command to that point.

He had faced only two batters over the minimum beginning the seventh and had eight strikeouts without a walk.

“I’m a little sore,” said Park, who is listed as day-to-day. “I’m waiting for [today] to see if it gets worse or gets better. Hopefully, it will get better. It’s just from one pitch.

“It hurt a lot after the last bullpen [session], and this was the same kind of thing. [Wednesday] was much better and [Thursday] was normal. Everything was good. Then the last pitch it hurt the same.”

Said Tracy: “It was a classic duel up to that point. The way he was throwing the ball was probably as well as he’s thrown it all year.”

Team trainer Stan Johnston said Park has slight scoliosis, a curvature of the spine that makes him susceptible to back problems.

“It caught him on that one pitch, and we’re just treating it as a muscle spasm right now,” Johnston said. “It doesn’t look like there’s anything structurally wrong.”

Pitching coach Jim Colborn expressed optimism.

“I knew what it was right away,” Colborn said. “When he did it on Tuesday, he collapsed on the mound. At least he didn’t do that today.

“It would have been a lot more dramatic if he would have fallen on his face on the mound.”

Colborn believes the Dodgers have enough depth to overcome Park’s problem.

“I have the attitude now that one guy or two guys have relatively more importance,” he said. “But I look at it as we have a core of six guys who are starting, and any of them is capable of winning a game.

“I sort of like to look at it as a strong group rather than Kevin Brown and Chan Ho Park being the guys we ride the shoulders of. Sort of like the Lakers.

“It’s not just Shaq. It’s not just Shaq and Kobe. It has to be everybody. The whole group.”

*

IT’S COSTLY,

BUT PEREZ

RELEASED

The Dodgers released Carlos Perez, knowing they must pay him the rest of his $7.5 million for this year. D6

INSIDE

ANGELS: 7

DETROIT: 5

Anaheim’s victory was dampened by an injury to catcher Bengie Molina. D5

OATES IS

OUT IN TEXAS

Johnny Oates resigns as manager of the struggling Texas Rangers. D4

AL: D4

NL: D6