Bonds and Bagwell return from injuries and bring hot bats into a heated race for the playoffs
National League sluggers Barry Bonds and Jeff Bagwell returned from injuries this week and found their respective teams fighting for playoff spots. Each player contributed quickly, with Bonds hitting two home runs in his first week back and Bagwell turning in a game-winning hit last Friday night.The Associated Press
Sept. 17 -- Barry Bonds wants his home runs to come in meaningful situations; like the ones the Houston Astros have always depended on Jeff Bagwell for. The two sluggers who missed most of the season with injuries showed Friday night that they aren't going to let any rust get in their way of making September contributions.
San Francisco Giants' Barry Bonds points to the crowd after hitting a solo home run off of Los Angeles Dodgers' Hong-Chih Kuo in the eighth inning in San Francisco on Sunday. The Giants won 5-3. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)Bonds hit his first home run of the season and 704th of his career, helping the San Francisco Giants beat Los Angeles 5-4 and tie the visiting Dodgers for second place in the NL West, 5 1/2 games behind San Diego.
"It's good when you win. It just makes it a little more gratifying, that's all it does," Bonds said. "I can hit a baseball. I've never had any problems doing that. I'm trying to do it when we win games."
Houston won its game because of Bagwell.
Sent up to pinch hit for closer Brad Lidge (4-3) in his third plate appearance since shoulder surgery, the veteran delivered an RBI single in the ninth inning to give the Astros a 2-1 home victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
"It gave me chills just to see him go out there," Lidge said. "We've all been pulling for him in his comeback, so to see him do that was great for everybody."
Bagwell missed four months, and when he returned Phil Garner said he didn't want to rush the slugger into high-pressured situations.
"I lied," Garner said Friday night.
Or maybe he just changed his mind knowing Houston is fighting for a playoff spot. The Astros are a half-game ahead of Philadelphia in the wild-card chase.
"Let's just say I felt he was the man to go to," Garner said. "And he came through for us big."
Bagwell is the Astros' career leader in RBIs. His hit off Dana Eveland (1-1) scored Willy Taveras with the winning run.
"That was typical Bagwell," Milwaukee's Lyle Overbay said. "You're never safe, even if he hasn't seen live pitching for two years or two months."
Bonds faces the same expectations. Friday was only his fourth start and fifth game of the season since his three knee surgeries, but the Giants don't think even the time away can slow him down. His homer came in his 11th at-bat.
"We believe he's going to hit one every time up," manager Felipe Alou said.
Bonds left after eight innings. Todd Linden replaced him and singled in the winning run with one out in the ninth off Duaner Sanchez (4-6).
"It's a tough game to lose after the manner in which we came back," Dodgers manager Jim Tracy said.
Story Produced by: Nick Weidenmiller
