DODGERS WINCING BUT CONVINCING; THEY WIN BIG OVER PIRATES, WORRY ABOUT PARK'S BACK : DODGERS 10 PITTSBURGH 5.

Byline: Matt McHale Daily News Staff Writer

Chan Ho Park, the Dodgers feel your pain.

Sunday's 10-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium was almost an afterthought by the time players reached the postgame clubhouse because, once again, Park had to leave early with stiffness in his lower back.

Park has not missed any of his seven starts this season, but he has had to leave three of them when his back flared up. Although he says he will be ready for his next assignment Friday against the Florida Marlins in Miami, the club is worried.

``He says he's fine, but when a guy comes out of three games with back problems, there obviously is going to be some concern,'' pitching coach Goose Gregson said. ``There were some times today when he really looked like he was in a lot of pain.''

In five innings, Park allowed just two hits, struck out three and walked one. He said he could have stayed in, but by then the Dodgers already had an 8-0 lead.

They battered Pirates starter Jose Silva (2-3) and five relievers for 13 hits - including a three-run homer by Todd Zeile in the fifth inning - to win for the seventh time in nine games.

Heading into Atlanta, where they begin a three-game series tonight with the mighty Braves, this should be a good time for the Dodgers. They opened their longest trip of the year 3-1. They know the Braves, who lead the National League East, are baseball's elite. But they like what they did in Pittsburgh.

``Although we had a home run today, that hasn't been a big part of our offense,'' said Zeile, who hit the Dodgers' first in four games. ``Last year we got a lot of home runs out of the middle of the lineup. This year we are manufacturing more runs and that keeps pressure on the other teams.''

Park even joined in with a two-run double in the Dodgers' five-run second inning.

But that was part of the problem.

Park said he wasn't sure when the pain started. He thought it might have begun when he tried to field a sharp single up the middle by Pirates catcher Jason Kendall in the first inning.

Two of Park's starts, including the April 7 home opener, were cut short because of discomfort from swinging the bat.

Sunday, he felt a twinge during the second-inning at-bat.

``When he went out for the fifth, I could tell something was wrong,'' Gregson said. ``During that inning, he grimaced a few times but wanted to stay in.''

Park's back has been X-rayed and he has accelerated a stretching program monitored by the Dodgers training staff.

DODGERS vs. ATLANTA

Time: 4:40 p.m., Turner Field.

TV/Radio: WTBS; 1150-AM, KWKW-AM (1330 Spanish).

Matchup: In the opener of three games against the defending NL East champions, Hideo Nomo (2-3, 4.81) faces rookie right-hander Kevin Millwood (3-1, 3.72). Nomo has pitched consecutive complete games and leads the league in opponents' batting average (.168). Millwood has been a pleasant surprise as the Braves' fifth starter. His 37 strikeouts are sixth in the NL, two behind Nomo.

- Matt McHale

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: (Color) Third baseman Todd Zeile is greeted by Mike Piazza after hitting the first Dodgers homer in four games.

Gary Tramontina/Associated Press

Box: DODGERS vs. ATLANTA (See Text)