Bonds’ Blast Sinks Dodgers Again

A heavy-hearted Jim Tracy sat in the visiting manager’s office at Pacific Bell Park Wednesday, seemingly dazed by the latest episode to distract his early days as Dodger manager.

It was obvious that Kevin Malone’s demise as Dodger general manager was weighing heavily on Tracy.

The Dodgers’ 5-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants in front of 41,059 a few hours later did nothing to ease his mind. It was the Dodgers’ fourth loss in five games and gave them a 3-5 record on their trip, with one game remaining.

“As I sit here, I’m very grateful for the opportunity that I’ve been given to manage this club,” Tracy said. “And the things that are going on right now are situations that are obviously outside the lines and my job as the manager of this club is to take care of what goes on inside the lines.”

Tracy was hired by Malone on Nov. 1.

“I’m the type of person that I don’t like to see ill will come to anybody,” Tracy said. “And it just makes for a very tough situation, from my perspective, because for me to appropriately elaborate on anything, I would create problems for myself as far as relationships, and things like that, and I’m meddling in waters that I don’t need to be in at this particular time.”

Dodger starter Chan Ho Park would find himself in similarly dangerous waters against the Giants.

Park suffered the loss after giving up two-out home runs to Rich Aurilia and Barry Bonds on consecutive pitches in the seventh inning. The second game-winning homer in as many nights by Bonds was a 413-foot shot into the waters of McCovey Cove beyond the right-field wall and was the 501st of his career.

Park (2-1) gave up five runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked two while making 104 pitches, 64 strikes.

He was cruising until the seventh.

Holding a 4-2 lead, Park struck out the first two batters of the inning before Marvin Benard doubled off the glove of Gary Sheffield in left field.

One pitch later, Aurilia tied the score with his first homer of the year.

Dodger pitching coach Jim Colborn paid a visit to the mound.

One pitch after that, Bonds went deep for the seventh time this year and the sixth time in six games. The last National League player to homer in six consecutive games was Graig Nettles with the San Diego Padres in 1984. The major league record for homers in consecutive games is eight, last accomplished by Ken Griffey Jr. with the Seattle Mariners in 1993.

“It was the wrong place, the wrong area,” Bonds said of Park’s pitch. “I don’t think he wanted to do that.”

Giant starter Livan Hernandez did not figure in the decision after giving up four runs, two earned, on 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out two and walked three in 114 pitches, 70 strikes.

Left-handed reliever Aaron Fultz (2-0) picked up the victory with one-third of a scoreless inning.

Helped by a pair of walks, the Giants jumped to a 2-0 lead in the second inning.

With two outs and J.T. Snow on second and Armando Rios on first, courtesy of the Park walks, No. 8 hitter Bobby Estalella singled through the left side of the infield to score Snow.

One batter later, Hernandez singled up the middle on an 0-and-2 pitch to score Rios.

The Dodgers got one back in the third thanks to a Giant error.

Shawn Green’s two-out nubber down the third-base line was misplayed by San Francisco third baseman Russ Davis, allowing the speedy Tom Goodwin, on base with a fielder’s choice, to scamper home from second base.

The Dodgers tied the score in the fourth.

Chad Kreuter doubled off the right-center field wall with one out before Alex Cora slapped a grounder to short. But Giant shortstop Rich Aurilia double-clutched before throwing the ball away, allowing Kreuter to score.

The Dodgers scored twice in the seventh to take a 4-2 lead on a run-scoring single by Green, bringing in Goodwin, and a double by Eric Karros.

“Just right now, we’re not getting any of the breaks,” said Sheffield, who was 0 for 4 with a walk. “The teams we’re playing are getting the breaks. You’ve got to stay positive and eventually it will change.”