A Giant problem

Hitting No. 756 outside S.F. will be disaster for Bonds

SAN FRANCISCO -- A 3-and-0 pitch from Florida righthander Sergio Mitre told you everything you needed to know about how important it is for Barry Bonds to keep history contained to his one safe house, AT&T Park.

The Giants trailed, 1-0, in the second inning Sunday and Bonds, on the last day of a Giants homestand, was looking at four plate appearances to hit the two home runs necessary to become the all-time home run champion. He was not about to let one of those plate appearances go by without one more big, loopy, pull-conscious swing in the only place in America where he is not booed and ridiculed.

And so Bonds did something he hadn't done in 48 such 3-and-0 counts all year: he swung at it and put it in play. It was a fastball running away, not a cripple pitch, and an anxious Bonds rolled over on it, grounding routinely to second base. It was the first time since Aug. 8, 2006 that Bonds put a 3-and-0 pitch into play. His other three plate appearances dissolved into similarly fruitless efforts: a broken-bat flyball to rightfield on another outside pitch he tried to pull, another rollover grounder to second base, and a high pop-up that landed on the mound for a charitable and harmless single.
Gee, what's the hurry? Only this: six games this week in Los Angeles and San Diego, where the home run chase degenerates into an unpleasant, even ugly spectacle starting Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. Bonds probably will play in four of those games.

And privately, Giants people know the atmosphere on the road is so toxic for Bonds that he may do whatever he can to save 756 for the home folks................