Philadelphia – Babe Ruth did it with hot dogs and beer. Barry Bonds will do it with boos and flaxseed oil.
The former screamed on a banner unfurled in left field at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night. As Bonds jogged out to his position in the city of brotherly love – is there a more obvious misnomer in sports? – he was greeted by the sign, jeers and a thundering roll call of “Ju-st re-tire!”
“There’s always electricity with Barry, but there were only two or three more boos than normal,” Giants manager Felipe Alou said. “But I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
Typical of a game featuring Bonds, home runs and frustration took center stage. None of the seven was hit by the San Francisco Giants slugger, leaving the club permeating with anger and concern over Moises Alou’s badly sprained right ankle.
“I am not talking tonight,” Moises Alou said as he tossed down his crutches, his injury severe enough to land him on the disabled list.
In a disjointed evening interrupted by Alou’s grisly looking stumble in right field while chasing a flyball, Bonds remained stuck on 712 home runs.
While Felipe Alou has hinted opposing managers were conspiring to walk Bonds, the Phillies gave the left fielder every opportunity to step onto history’s doorstep.
Bonds, in a sight more common this year than in the previous 10 seasons, missed on pitches he normally splatters. He popped up to center field against Phillies starter Gavin Floyd in the first, was intentionally walked in the third, grounded into an usual 3-5-4 double play and struck out on an Aaron Fultz curveball in the eighth.
Bonds showed rare emotion on the double play. He didn’t run out of the batter’s box, something Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard recognized in deciding to gamble for two outs. When easily retired by 10 steps, Bonds fired his helmet and protective armor to the ground in disgust.
Bonds didn’t talk after the game, leaving the clubhouse before reporters arrived.
Of more concern than absence or anger in his pursuit of Babe Ruth’s 714-home run milestone is Moises Alou’s condition. X-rays on Alou’s ankle were negative, but he couldn’t bear weight on the ankle.
Without Alou, there is even less reason to pitch to Bonds. Leading up to the awkward stumble down the right-field line, he was 4-for-4 with nine RBIs in at-bats after Bonds was intentionally walked.
“He was the guy who was making them pay,” said Jamey Wright, Saturday’s starter. “It’s a big loss.”
Felipe Alou indicated Pedro Feliz would hit behind Bonds against left-handers and Steve Finley would fill the role against right-handers.
The circus was in Philadelphia last week, but it had nothing on Bonds. Felipe Alou took umbrage with the fans who booed Bonds when he left his position to check on Moises Alou’s condition.
“America is not like that,” Moises Alou said.
Bonds insists the hostility doesn’t bother him, but he has been a different player on the road. His lone home run in a visiting park came at Coors Field off Aaron Cook. He is hitting .194 in 31 at-bats with four extra-base hits and one RBI.
“We need to get it going around here,” reliever Steve Kline said after the Giants’ fifth loss in six games. “It’s been a tough stretch.”
Footnotes
Chase Utley and Howard each hit two home runs. It marked the eighth time in his career Utley has homered twice in a game. … Catcher Todd Greene is available only in an emergency situation after suffering an injured shoulder in his collision with Prince Fielder. “It’s going to take an act of Congress to get me on the disabled list,” Greene said.
