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Marlins spoil Park's return, hold off Mets

May 1, 2007 - 4:14 AM FLUSHING, New York (Ticker) -- Chan Ho Park's return to the major leagues was spoiled by a loss of control, some well-placed hits and a pair of blasts.

Miguel Cabrera and Josh Willingham each drove in a pair of runs in a five-run third inning off Park as the Florida Marlins held on for a 9-6 victory over the New York Mets on Monday in the opener of a three-game series.

Alfredo Amezaga and Hanley Ramirez homered for the Marlins, who also benefited from some shaky fielding by the undermanned Mets.

"We just waited for the hits to come," Ramirez said. "We just had to figure him (Park) out."

Carlos Beltran homered and tied a career high with four hits for New York, but it was not enough to overcome the decisive third inning.

Park (0-1) signed with the Mets over the winter but was unable to win a spot in the starting rotation in spring training and agreed to start the year in minors.

New York placed Orlando Hernandez on the disabled list earlier in the day, giving the 33-year-old Korean righthander another shot at the major leagues.

Park, who has 113 major league wins and pitched with San Diego last season, was recalled from Class AAA New Orleans, but he lasted just four innings, allowing seven runs and six hits.

"Chan Ho, in spring training, had flashes of losing his concentration," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "I think it happened again in the third inning."

Park retired the first eight batters before Scott Olsen singled to extend his hitting streak to four games. The hit to the opposing pitcher on an 0-2 count seemed to unravel Park, who then walked Ramirez and Dan Uggla on eight straight pitches.

"I'm not sure if (the hit by Olsen) bothered me, but I was still thinking about it when the next batter was up," Park said.

Cabrera followed with a soft line that went off the glove of second baseman Damion Easley for a two-run single. Easley was starting at second in place of Jose Valentin, who also went on the disabled list Monday with a partial tear in the ACL of his right knee.

"I thought I had the ball the whole way," Easley said. "It hit the palm of my glove. It's a play I expect to make 100 percent of the time."

The Mets appeared to be out of the inning when Mike Jacobs hit a pop fly to short center field, but shortstop Jose Reyes hesitated in trying to catch the ball and it fell for an RBI double.

The Marlins' lead grew to 5-0 when Willingham blooped a two-run single that fell in front of right fielder Shawn Green.

Amezaga and Ramirez hit solo homers one out apart off Park in the fourth to increase the lead to 7-0. Florida, which was outscored, 20-5, in losing two games to New York on April 18-19, added a run in the sixth on a throwing error by catcher Paul Lo Duca.

Olsen (3-1) earned the win, allowing four runs - two earned - and 10 hits in six-plus innings for the Marlins.

"(Olsen) gave us all he had. There's not a breather in that lineup," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

"I just wanted to get on base," Olsen said. "I don't know what happened to (Park), but it was good for us."

Randy Messenger and Renyel Pinto pitched a scoreless inning apiece before former Met Henry Owens, the third Florida reliever, worked the ninth for his second save.

Beltran hit his sixth homer of the season in the fifth and New York added three runs in the sixth in an inning that began when Cabrera booted a ground ball at third base. Green had a two-run single and scored on a double by Reyes to cut the lead to 8-4.

Pinch hitter Jason Wood had an RBI double in the eighth for the Marlins, but the Mets answered in their half with another run-scoring double by Reyes, who then scored on a single by Lo Duca to make it 9-6.