Sheffield Dreams of Bonds in L.A. Lineup

Gary Sheffield leaned back in a chair in the clubhouse and smiled Thursday as he observed teammates discussing the National League West race and Barry Bonds’ 60th home run.

Bonds homered to lead the second-place San Francisco Giants to a 9-5 victory against the leading Arizona Diamondbacks at Pacific Bell Park, continuing to impress the third-place Dodgers.

But Sheffield was not among those surprised Bonds is within 10 home runs of Mark McGwire’s single-season record of 70, because he expects the unexpected of his longtime friend.

“The thing about Barry is, he can do anything you say he can’t,” Sheffield said. “There isn’t anything he can’t do as an individual on a baseball field. But the problem is, when you’re talking about a team sport, it takes a team to win the World Series. He’s never got that because of how big a star he is.

“In this game these days, you usually can’t have enough stars on a team to win [consistently] because of salaries. Only a few teams have the money to put enough stars together in a situation to win big. But if you put Barry in the right situation, you put the right people around him, he’ll get you there and he’ll win it for you.”

And guess which team Sheffield believes would best suit Bonds, who can become a free agent after the season.

“The Dodgers,” he said. “If Barry came to the Dodgers, it would absolutely be the right situation for him and us.

“If we played together, we would win it all. Who are you going to pitch around then? And we have so many stars, everything wouldn’t be all on Barry.”

Sheffield has everything figured out, saying he would return to right field and Shawn Green would move to center field to accommodate Bonds next season.

He has pitched the idea to agent Scott Boras, who represents Sheffield and Bonds, and might be willing to restructure his contract to help the club sign his buddy.

“I’ve thought about creative ways of making it happen,” Sheffield said. “I haven’t talked to [Chairman Bob] Daly about it, but Scott knows we want to play together.

“He knows how close we are.”

Sheffield acknowledges the chances of the Dodgers signing Bonds are “slim” because of the price tag, but he’s still hopeful.

“I want to see Barry walk away with a ring,” he said. “If I could help him get a ring, that’s going to make me happy.”

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First baseman Eric Karros sat out Thursday’s game against the Colorado Rockies because of back stiffness.

Karros, sidelined often this season because of recurring back problems, said he experienced pain after making a diving catch in Wednesday’s 7-2 victory.

“With the history I’ve had this year, it’s better to be on the cautious side,” he said. “For the last month, I’ve felt absolutely great.”

Team trainer Stan Johnston said Karros is day-to-day.

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The first test of the four-man rotation occurs this weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

James Baldwin and Chan Ho Park will start on only three days’ rest in the series. Manager Jim Tracy and pitching coach Jim Colborn might scrap the plan if either pitcher struggles because of fatigue.

Baldwin, Saturday’s starter, threw 103 pitches in six innings in Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to the Rockies. Park threw 91 pitches in seven innings in Wednesday’s victory.

ON DECK

Opponent--St. Louis Cardinals, three games.

Site--Busch Stadium, St. Louis.

Tonight--5 PDT.

TV--Channel 5 tonight and Sunday; Channel 11 on Saturday.

Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

Records--Dodgers 77-63, Cardinals 76-63.

Record vs. Cardinals--2-1.

TONIGHT

DODGERS’

KEVIN BROWN

(9-4, 2.93 ERA)

vs.

CARDINALS’

DUSTIN HERMANSON

(12-11, 4.44 ERA)

Update--Brown, in his third start since being activated from the disabled list, is tired of commenting about the torn muscle on his pitching elbow. “It is what it is,” the right-hander said. “It doesn’t do any good to keep going over it. The only thing that matters is the results when you go out there.” Pitching coach Jim Colborn will monitor Brown closely in the opener of the three-game series.

Saturday, 10:15 a.m.--James Baldwin (2-3, 4.56) vs. Bud Smith (4-2, 3.75).

Sunday, 11 a.m.--Chan Ho Park (13-9, 2.99) vs. Matt Morris (19-7, 3.18).