Tomko’s doing a good job of pretending he’s not scared

This is what baseball is all about, Barry Bonds versus Brett Tomko tonight, and who gets to 756 first -- Bonds hitting that many home runs or Tomko seemingly giving that many up.

The key for Bonds, of course, is getting to Tomko before the fifth inning because Tomko probably won’t be around much longer than that.

I figured I’d find Tomko curled up into a ball in his locker before Wednesday’s game, shell shocked from the shellacking he has already taken much of this season, and fretting about facing Bonds. Four days ago, Troy Tulowitzki hit a home run off Tomko.

“I could care less about Bonds,” Tomko said, almost giving it a “Barry who?”

“I was facing McGwire when he was sitting on No. 70,” Tomko said.

“And did McGwire hit it out of the park?” I asked, and you can understand why I might think so.

“He got one off me the following year,” Tomko said, and of course he did.

“And Sosa?”

“He got me a bunch,” said Tomko, raising the question: Is this the steroid era, or just the chance to hit against Tomko?

What about Bonds?

“Got me my rookie year -- 11 years ago,” Tomko said. “Opposite field in Cincinnati. Day game. But I’m not worried about Barry,” although I suspect he knows the hour and minute that Bonds took him deep.

“I’ve got eight other guys playing for the Giants to worry about,” he said, and I think we all understand why.

But still, most folks are just going to be focused on Tomko and Bonds.

“I don’t care if he hits 10,000 home runs,” Tomko said. “Not off me, of course,” although if he really put his mind to it. . . . “but listen,” he said, “I’ve got enough problems this year, and the least of them is pitching to Barry Bonds.”

In what must already be considered a miracle, now that the trading deadline has passed, Tomko is not only still in the starting rotation but still pitching for the Dodgers.

“A lot of people have arm issues here,” he said. “In a healthy world, you’d have to think I wouldn’t be here right now.”

It’s a mystery, though, why Tomko struggles as he does. He throws in the 90s, but has a career record of 91-88, including 2-8 this year, and next to Bonds, no one gets booed louder in Dodger Stadium than Tomko.

I asked him if he was rattled, his confidence smashed to smithereens with the hometown fans on his case and Bonds now on the horizon, and sitting behind him and out of sight of Tomko, Brad Penny was waving to me to go easy on Tomko.

The Dodgers need Tomko to tough it out the rest of the way, and so far his psyche has been stamped “fragile.” Giving up four home runs to the likes of Rico Brogna in your career can do that to a guy.

“I’m all right now,” Tomko said, and as good guys go -- he’s one of them in the Dodger clubhouse, but he’s got to do more than throw batting practice to the opposition if the folks sitting in the stands are ever going to take that into consideration.

“This season has been no fun and has been about as miserable a season as I have had, but now that I’m back in the rotation things are better. And I think I’m throwing the ball well now.”

Bonds can only hope so. He has come to the plate 35 times against Tomko and 13 times Tomko has walked him. Bonds has six hits, and that one home run off Tomko in 1997.

“If we win 10-5 and Bonds hits five home runs off me, I don’t care,” Tomko said. “I wouldn’t lose any sleep -- not even a wink.”

If Rico Brogna can hit four home runs off Tomko, I certainly wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Bonds hitting five.

I REALLY do hope Bonds hits two home runs tonight to break the record, giving Vin Scully, who called Hank Aaron’s record-breaker, the chance to do the same and give baseball fans years from now a voice that should accompany such a record.

When Aaron hit the home run, though, Scully said nothing, standing up and moving to the rear of his broadcast booth to pour himself a cup of coffee while letting the crowd noise dominate the dramatic moment.

Almost 30 seconds later, he added to the chills, telling everyone, “What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world.

“A black man is getting an ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron.”

I told him the other night that his silent call on Aaron’s home run probably prepared him well for Bonds, as some people might prefer it that way. Scully just laughed, and said he would do what he always does, and just react to the moment. It’s as good a reason as any to pull for Bonds before he leaves town.

GRADY LITTLE is a party-pooper. The Dodgers will be playing in front of three-straight sellout crowds here because Bonds has a chance to give the paying customers a personal glimpse of history in the making.

But with the count 2-and-0 in the eighth inning, a runner on third with two out and camera flashes going off all around the stadium, Little called on Jonathan Broxton to intentionally walk Bonds.

The fans booed, the Giants put in a pinch-runner for Bonds, the next hitter singled in a run and the fans began to file out of Dodger Stadium.

RAN INTO Commissioner Bud Selig, who asked, “how is Dwyre doing?”

“Dwyre is really old,” I said.

“He’s always been old,” said Selig, and I know some people have problems with what Selig has to say, but as far as I can tell, he’s right on top of things.

THE DODGERS will host a “steroids awareness clinic” for local youth today at the stadium before the game with the Giants. The timing is curious -- unless the idea is to point to Bonds and let youngsters know this is what it’s going to take one day to be baseball’s all-time home-run hitter.

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T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers.