Boos and Homers Come Out at Park

Dodger starter Chan Ho Park, who didn’t give up a home run in his first 18 appearances last season, can’t keep the ball in the park this season.

Park, who gave up eight home runs in his first 12 appearances this season, gave up three home runs to the St. Louis Cardinals in the first 3 2/3 innings, including two to Ray Lankford, and the Dodgers lost, 3-1, Friday night before 41,231 at Dodger Stadium.

The fans are finally starting to boo the Dodgers, who have lost two in a row and eight of their last 11 to fall two games under .500.

“They’re entitled to do whatever they want,” said first baseman Eric Karros. “I guess I’d boo too if I was out there continuing to see the same thing. After a while they get frustrated.

“We get frustrated and throw helmets and their frustration is to boo.”

The Dodgers got seven hits but left eight baserunners in the final six innings.

“We had at least six different chances, but we couldn’t get a run,” Karros said. “It has nothing to do with the lineup.”

Manager Bill Russell, who has called team meetings and changed the batting order to try to shake things up, has canceled batting practice before tonight’s game against the Cardinals.

“You’ve got to try something different to change the routine,” Russell said. “We’re trying everything.”

Catcher Mike Piazza could use a change in routine. He went hitless in four at-bats with two errors in Thursday night’s 5-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants and 0 for 3 Friday--hitting into his 12th double play after Raul Mondesi led off the sixth inning with a walk.

Karros was hitless in three at-bats with a walk. Karros popped out with a runner and one out in the fourth inning.

Todd Hollandsworth, who scored the Dodgers’ only run, left a runner at first with two outs in the eighth inning when he took a called third strike. He also grounded out with two runners on in the sixth.

Todd Zeile, hitless in 16 at-bats before Friday, had two hits but left a runner at third in the fourth inning when he struck out.

And Mondesi left runners at first and second in the seventh inning when he flew out to center with two outs on the first pitch from Cardinal starter Alan Benes.

Benes (5-5) gave up one run on seven hits with seven strikeouts and four walks as the Cardinals defeated the Dodgers for the fourth time in five games.

Reliever Dennis Eckersley worked a perfect ninth inning, but got a scare when Nelson Liriano, who doubled in the Dodgers’ only run with one out in the fifth inning, sent Lankford to the warning track in center field.

Lankford, who ranks among the National League leaders with 14 home runs, homered in his first two at-bats. He has hit a home run in five consecutive games and has a 12-game hitting streak.

Lankford hit a two-out home run into the right-field box seats in the first inning and one-out home run into the right-field bleachers in the third.

Park, who has given up 11 home runs in 63 2/3 innings, also gave up a two-out home run to Ron Gant in the third inning.

“It was just bad pitches,” Russell said. “If you don’t make the pitches on guys, they’re going to hit home runs off you.”