Bonds Gets Even With Home Run

The hex is over for Barry Bonds, who ended Chuck McElroy’s 10-year domination with one swing.

“He’s beaten me more than I’ve beaten him. He’s still winning it,” said Bonds, who ended a one-for-29 slump against McElroy with a three-run, eighth-inning homer Sunday that gave the San Francisco Giants a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

John Thomson took a 3-1 lead into the eighth before walking Marvin Benard and Bill Mueller with one out. McElroy (6-4) relieved and Bonds hit a liner over the right-field fence for his 33rd homer.

“He beat me with my best stuff, but not my best location,” McElroy said. “It went a little too in on him. I’ve faced him a lot before. He knows I’m not going to go up there and start throwing curveballs and stuff. I’m going to go up there and start challenging him.”

Most of the time, it has worked. McElroy retired Bonds in key situations Friday and Saturday to preserve two victories.

“He’s been the one,” said Bonds, who in 1989 was the first major-league hitter McElroy faced. “He’s never shied away from me throughout my career. He’s a good guy. We’ve remained friends. I keep telling him he should wind up on my team someday.”

Colorado Manager Don Baylor had little choice but to bring in McElroy after Thomson issued consecutive walks.

“I don’t know if [Thomson] was out of gas,” Baylor said. “He just threw eight consecutive balls. You can talk about the law of averages, but I don’t know. Mac’s been getting him out for a while. But Bonds is a great player. He just left the ball too much in on him with the game on the line.”

Thomson had taken a five-hitter into the inning.

“Things were sailing along, and then all of a sudden, ‘Boom!’ ” Thomson said. “Something just got out of whack.”

John Johnstone (4-5) pitched a perfect eighth, and Robb Nen pitched the ninth for his 36th save.

Bonds went two-for-12 in the series before hitting his 407th career home run, tying him with Duke Snider for 26th on the all-time career list.

The Giants remained 3 1/2 games behind Chicago in the NL wild-card race.

“We got shut out yesterday and got our hearts broken in the eighth the other night,” Giant Manager Dusty Baker said. “The law of averages was on [Bonds’] side.”

Todd Helton drew a one-out walk off Russ Ortiz in the seventh and scored one out later when Reed homered for a 3-1 lead. Ortiz allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings.

Benard’s RBI grounder put San Francisco ahead in the third but Colorado tied the score in the fourth on Vinny Castilla’s sacrifice fly.

Dante Bichette led off the inning with his 48th double.

NEXT SERIES FOR DODGERS

WHO: Colorado Rockies

WHERE: Dodger Stadium

WHEN: Tonight, 7; Tuesday, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.