Giants Rout the Dodgers

Challenging Barry Bonds is risky business, something Dodger Manager Jim Tracy has learned from experience.

So it wouldn’t have been surprising Tuesday night had Tracy intentionally walked Bonds with the score tied in the seventh inning of another tense encounter with the San Francisco Giants at SBC Park.

Tracy instead opted to challenge Bonds, who burned the Dodgers for a double that helped shift the momentum in an 11-5 loss and propelled the Giants into first place in the National League West before a sellout crowd of 41,703.

Bonds doubled against Wilson Alvarez to put runners in scoring position for Edgardo Alfonzo. The Giants took off from there, as Alfonzo delivered a tiebreaking two-run single off Darren Dreifort as part of his career-high six runs batted in.

With their fourth victory in a row, the Giants (39-32) moved a half-game ahead of the Dodgers (37-31), who have lost the first two games of the four-game series.

Giant shortstop Deivi Cruz had a personal-best five hits to pace a 16-hit attack, and also matched a franchise record with three doubles. Juan Encarnacion hit his 11th home run -- a two-run shot -- and Milton Bradley had three of the Dodgers’ seven hits and two runs batted in.

But the Giants defeated the Dodgers as Bonds reaffirmed it’s best to exercise caution against him with the outcome undecided.

“It’s a Catch-22,” said Dodger first baseman Shawn Green, who twice failed to produce with runners in scoring position. “He’s the best hitter on Earth and it’s kind of hard to let him hit. The guy is on, and then the guys behind him are swinging really well too. It could have gone either way on that.”

On Tuesday, it went against the Dodgers.

They had tied the score, 5-5, in the seventh as Dave Roberts scored on Bradley’s second run-scoring single in as many innings.

Then the Giants took command with three runs in the bottom of the inning as Bonds seized the opportunity Tracy provided.

With one out and Marquis Grissom on first, Tracy elected to pitch to the six-time National League most valuable player, who lined a double into the left-field corner. Tracy brought in Dreifort.

The Dodgers brought the infield in and Alfonzo singled to right, taking second as Encarnacion overran the ball for an error.

Cruz drove in San Francisco’s third run in the inning with his third double.

Alfonzo had a bases-loaded double in the eighth.

With Alfonzo and Cruz hot, Tracy figured he couldn’t afford to walk Bonds.

“I didn’t want to put the winning run on second base. That’s it. I just didn’t want to do it,” Tracy said. “Look at the damage that Alfonzo did tonight.

“He drove in what, I think five, no, six runs. And the guy behind him [Cruz] had five hits. I just didn’t want to do it.”

The Dodgers actually tried to pitch around Bonds. Alvarez followed Tracy’s instructions, pitching off the plate.

But Bonds is just that good, the Dodgers said.

“Obviously, in hindsight it didn’t work out the way we planned,” said Roberts, who scored twice. “But I looked at the tape. The ball was eight inches outside. It’s not like it’s a mistake pitch. We’re trying to pitch around the guy.”

Reliever Jim Brower (5-3) gave up a run in two innings for the victory. Alvarez (2-3) was charged with two runs in 1 1/3 innings for the loss.

The Giants returned to first place for the first time since April 13, overcoming an eight-game deficit to their Southland rivals.

“I was saying how terribly early it is because I know there were many who were saying it was getting late for us,” said Giant Manager Felipe Alou, whose team is 24-9 in its last 33 games.

“I wish it would be the last day of the season today, but all of a sudden we have three more months to play or more.”