Bonds Is Still Waiting

Barry Bonds got only as far as the on-deck circle Thursday afternoon, retreating to the clubhouse when the final out was made in the ninth inning, and the road show that is Bonds’ chase of Babe Ruth moved to Philadelphia.

After Carlos Lee and Geoff Jenkins homered for the Milwaukee Brewers in their 7-4 victory over the Giants at Miller Park, Bonds shooed waiting reporters from in front of his locker, gently enough, saying, “Get out of here. Go.”

He was hitless in four at-bats Wednesday night, when in left field he stood beneath three of the numbers retired by the Brewers, Hank Aaron literally hanging over his head.

Bonds has 712 home runs, two fewer than Ruth, 43 fewer than Aaron.

His manager, Felipe Alou, said he was undaunted at the prospect of fielding a team in Philadelphia, where the fans are notoriously aggressive. Bonds is expected to play all three games.

The first shot came not from the stands, but from the Phillie roster. Cory Lidle, who is not scheduled to pitch in the series, became one of the few active players to publicly criticize Bonds, who is alleged to have used steroids.

He told the Philadelphia Daily News that Bonds’ season-record 73 home runs, set five years ago, is tainted, as are the home runs that have led him to the brink of Ruth.

“I don’t think it’s legitimate,” he said, later adding, “I don’t want to see him break records. If he breaks them, it will be a shame, because I think when all is said and done, the truth will come out.”

Lidle also said, “What he could have done without performance-enhancing drugs -- which he hasn’t been proven guilty of, which I’m not buying -- you can maybe take what he had done in his prime, before his head started growing at an enormous rate, and just make those projections....

“Maybe it’s 550 home runs. I don’t know. It definitely wouldn’t have been anything close to 700.”

Giant catcher Todd Greene left the game in the first inning after Prince Fielder crashed into him at home plate. Greene has a bruised right shoulder and is listed as day-to-day.