Bonds Keeps Moving Up Charts

Livan Hernandez loves to watch Barry Bonds at the plate just like everyone else--except the opposition.

“Everybody’s waiting, every time he’s up,” Hernandez said. “Is he going to hit a home run?”

Hernandez doesn’t mind the extra run support Bonds provides either.

Bonds hit his 574th home run, moving past Harmon Killebrew into sixth place on the career list, and the San Francisco Giants sent the Milwaukee Brewers to their seventh consecutive loss, 3-2, Saturday.

Bonds had tied Killebrew with a home run on Friday night.

Hernandez (3-0), who hadn’t won consecutive games in April before this season, went seven innings and gave up two runs and nine hits.

“Is that so many?” Hernandez defended himself when asked about the hits. “I care about the win. Win the game. I don’t care if it’s 29 hits.”

Bonds’ home run, his major league-leading seventh of the season, came on the first pitch to him in the first inning by Nelson Figueroa (0-1).

Ramon Martinez had a two-run homer for the Giants, who are off to a National League-best 9-2 start this season.

Robb Nen pitched the ninth for his third save.

Figueroa came out of the bullpen to make his first start of the season, taking over because starter Jamey Wright is on the disabled list because of rotator cuff tendinitis.

After Bonds lofted his homer to right field, Martinez made it 3-0 in the third inning with his second homer of the season. The shot to the bleachers in left field scored Pedro Feliz, who singled.

The Brewers narrowed it to 3-1 in the fourth. Richie Sexson singled and then scored when Geoff Jenkins tried unsuccessfully to stretch his double to left-center into a triple.

Hernandez got into trouble in the seventh. Raul Casanova doubled, went to third on Jose Hernandez’s single and scored an out later on Alex Sanchez’s single. Jose Hernandez finished three for three with three singles.

Claimed off waivers by the Brewers on April 3, Figueroa has faced Bonds only five times in his career, giving up two homers to the record-breaking slugger.

Figueroa gave up three runs and four hits over six innings on Saturday.

“He did a real good job,” Brewer Manager Davey Lopes said. “He pitched on two days notice and gave us a real strong performance.”

Bonds finished one for two, drawing one walk. He was hit by Takahito Nomura’s pitch in the eighth inning.

Bonds, who hit a record 73 home runs last year, needs nine more to match Mark McGwire for fifth on the all-time list.

The Giants got a scare in the final inning when catcher Benito Santiago was hit in the right hand as he tried to snag a foul tip that bounced under him.

Santiago said after the game that the X-rays were negative, but he would miss today’s game.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

*

*--* Home Run Leaders Baseball’s top 10 all-time home run hitters: 1. Hank Aaron 755 2. Babe Ruth 714 3. Willie Mays 660 4. Frank Robinson 586 5. Mark McGwire 583 6. Barry Bonds 574 7. Harmon Killebrew 573 8. Reggie Jackson 563 9. Mike Schmidt 548 10. Mickey Mantle 536

*--*