A PARK AVENUE STROLL; DODGERS SAIL TO EASY WIN AS ACE GETS 11 STRIKEOUTS : DODGERS 8, ATLANTA 3.

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

Lately, every place is a good place for Chan Ho Park to do whatever he wants. At least that's how he feels.

So this town, where they grow Cy Young Award winners, was as good a place as any for the quickly maturing, 24-year-old Korean to state his lofty intentions.

First, Park continued to do his thing on the field with 6-1/3 innings of what is becoming predictably steady pitching to help the Dodgers to an 8-3 victory over the Braves on Sunday. Then, he continued to do his thing in the clubhouse with a few minutes of what is becoming predictably steady confident talk.

``I'm trying to be one of the best pitchers in the major leagues,'' said Park, who struck out a career-high 11 batters, walked two and allowed three runs on six hits. ``Someday I will be there. Every player tells me, `You're going to be the Cy Young winner. You have to believe in yourself.' I do now. I want to do that (win the Cy Young), why not?''

After beating the Rockies in Colorado on Tuesday, Park said he felt like the ``team owner'' in describing how in charge he felt on the mound. His statements, delivered in increasingly impressive English, elicit chuckles. But no one is laughing at him.

Park's latest declaration came moments after he secured his place as the most reliable pitcher on a talented staff stricken by injuries, confidence lapses and plain old inconsistency.

Sunday was Park's career-high third straight victory and tied Hideo Nomo for the staff's season high in strikeouts. He improved his record to 8-5 and lowered his ERA to 3.20. The Dodgers are 12-6 in games he starts.

``He had real good stuff,'' Dodgers catcher Tom Prince said. ``He threw his breaking pitches for strikes. His fastball was as (good) as I've ever seen it.''

Prince filled in for Mike Piazza, who left in the first inning with what was diagnosed as a slightly strained left hamstring. Piazza, who hurt the leg rounding first after a run-scoring single, is considered day-to-day and will be re-evaluated today.

The victory kept the Dodgers three games behind the Giants, guaranteed they would finish at least .500 on this eight-game road trip that ends today and gave them a chance to take three of four from the defending National League champions.

The patchwork lineup did not stop behind the plate. With Greg Gagne sitting out a fourth straight game with a virus and Tripp Cromer nursing a bruised left hand suffered Saturday when he was struck by a bad-hop grounder in batting practice, Wilton Guerrero started at shortstop for the first time this season and Nelson Liriano made his sixth start of the season at second base. With Roger Cedeno's sprained right wrist still hurting, Todd Hollandsworth made just his fifth start of the month.

All of the fill-ins contributed as the Dodgers scored six of their runs off 1996 Cy Young winner John Smoltz (8-9, 3.31).

Hollandsworth singled and scored the game's first run. Liriano was 2 for 4 with an RBI and the deciding run. Guerrero had a sacrifice bunt and later drove in the game's fifth run.

``That's what it takes to win, guys coming off the bench to do their job,'' Dodgers manager Bill Russell said. ``. . . We made a lot of things happen. But Chan Ho was the big difference.''

In the 23rd start of his career and 18th start this season, Park allowed two runs in the third inning. It might have been worse. With one out, he walked Smoltz and allowed a single to Jeff Blauser. He got the second out before walking Chipper Jones to load the bases and bring up Fred McGriff, the Braves cleanup hitter who entered the game with 55 RBI this season and three hits in six at-bats against Park. McGriff singled inside the third-base bag to score Smoltz and Blauser before Park struck out Ryan Klesko.

Park was perfect in the fourth and fifth, allowed a run on a single and a double in the sixth and got into trouble in the seventh.

After allowing a leadoff double to Mark Lemke and hitting Blauser, Park was replaced by Mark Guthrie, who promptly got out of the inning with a strikeout and a fly ball to right field.

Park was disappointed he was lifted. After the game he told pitching coach Dave Wallace he wanted to be allowed to go nine innings some time.

``I want to get out of hard situations,'' Park said. ``I've got confidence. I want to do that.''

Wallace said he ``can't wait'' for that to happen.

Park knows why he had to leave. He had thrown 112 pitches.

He might be getting his breaking ball over for strikes early in counts. He might be blowing fastballs past the game's best hitters. He might believe in his unlimited potential. But he needs to stop throwing so many pitches.

``That's the first thing I have to work on,'' Park said.

Then the Cy Young.

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Photo

PHOTO A fly ball drive off the bat of the Dodgers' Tom Prince, filling in for injured Mike Piazza, gets away from Braves left fielder Ryan Klesko for a double.

Associated Press