Dodgers’ Rotation Is Spinning in Place

Perhaps a four-man rotation is not the solution after all.

The Dodgers might consider scrapping their new pitching plan after Chan Ho Park was chased in the fourth inning Sunday afternoon in an 8-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals before 36,337 at Busch Stadium.

Park (13-10) was pounded a day after James Baldwin also struggled working on three days’ rest, giving up two home runs among eight hits and seven earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.

In Saturday’s 6-5 loss, Baldwin gave up 10 hits and five earned runs in four innings.

Two pitchers, two bad outings.

“I know that pitchers can pitch on three days’ rest. I absolutely know that,” pitching coach Jim Colborn said. “There’s no question whatsoever that pitchers can function on that.

“It’s been proven over the history of time. Now, whether they think they can is another thing. In the case of these two guys [Baldwin and Park], though, I don’t think they thought there would be a problem.”

On Sunday, Jim Edmonds’ grand slam in the fourth against Park, who returned to the mound after a 2-hour 4-minute rain delay, helped the Cardinals move ahead of the Dodgers in the wild-card standings.

“I was loose,” said Park, who threw only 46 strikes in 84 pitches. “I’ve been in this kind of situation [pitching after rain delays] a couple of games the last four or five years. That’s OK.”

Edmonds hit his 26th homer--and third career grand slam--on a 3-and-1 fastball, capping a five-run inning, breaking the game open, 7-1, and sending the frustrated right-hander into the clubhouse.

Fernando Vina tormented Park and the Dodgers from the start.

He led off the first inning with his fifth homer and was four for five with two runs batted in and two runs. His two-out bunt single ignited the decisive five-run fourth.

The Dodgers (78-65) lost the final two games of the three-game series after winning the opener and briefly moving atop the wild-card pack.

They are 1 1/2 games behind the San Francisco Giants in that race, and three behind the leading Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West. The Cardinals (78-64) trail the Giants by a game for the wild-card berth.

The Dodgers appeared overmatched against the Cardinal bullpen after Manager Tony La Russa removed 19-game winner Matt Morris during the long delay that began in the top of the second.

Four relievers limited the Dodgers to a run and four hits. T.J. Mathews (1-0) worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings for the victory.

The Dodgers are 3-3 on the 12-game, 14-day trip after starting 3-1.

Baldwin and Park did not fare well as the first starters to work on short rest this season, but the Dodgers said the uncommon alignment isn’t the problem.

“Maybe they were trying too hard,” Colborn said. “Maybe they were trying in the wrong way. Maybe if there is something wrong with the experiment, or trying to do this, it’s that the pitcher doesn’t understand that he should just function normally and don’t try to do anything extra. But I know this can be done.”

There were other variables that could have contributed to the poor performances of Baldwin and Park.

Baldwin has been ineffective on four days’ rest as well, going 1-4 with a 6.62 earned-run average in his last six starts.

Park acknowledged it was difficult for him to maintain his focus Sunday after the delay and Vina’s bunt single.