Giants and Bonds Go Down

Todd Helton had four hits and four runs batted in in the Colorado Rockies’ 10-7 victory Friday night over the San Francisco Giants, who lost Barry Bonds to a strained right patella tendon.

Bonds was injured in the fourth inning when he jumped up against the wall on a double by Preston Wilson. He stayed in the game but came out after lining a single off the wall to lead off the fifth.

Bonds will have an MRI exam today.

“It’s still too early to tell,” Giant trainer Stan Conte said. “He walked off the field on his own power and walked out of here on his own power, which is a good sign.”

Bonds stayed on the field after he went up for Wilson’s fly, which bounced off the top of the wall, but could barely make it up the line after the single in the fifth.

Conte said Bonds had a full range of motion and the swelling was minimal.

“It wasn’t bad. He didn’t really feel it until he exploded out of the box,” Conte said. “It is on the front part of his knee. The more he walked around the better he felt. He walked out of here and walked to his cab.”

Jose Hernandez hit his third homer in four games for the Rockies, who won for only the second time in seven games but improved their NL-best home record to 16-7.

Helton was four for five after sitting out his first start of the year Thursday because of sinus congestion. He finished a triple short of the cycle and hit his first homer in more than a month in the sixth inning.

Benito Santiago hit his seventh homer and drove in three runs for San Francisco, which has lost nine of 11 and is only 1 1/2 games ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West.

Colorado starter Shawn Chacon (6-2) gave up four runs and nine hits in five innings to win his second straight start after opening May 0-2 with a 10.13 earned-run average.