Bonds Has Record-Breaking Day In LA

With three weeks remaining in the regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are in danger of matching a dubious record set in 1936. That's the last year they failed to win four consecutive games.

Mark Grudzielanek and Charles Johnson each homered and drove in three runs as the Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 8-5 Friday night for their season-best third win in a row.

"It is pretty strange, huh?" Johnson said. "It's been like an up-and-down year. We haven't been able to stay consistent and that really shows in the record."

Consistency hasn't been a problem for Barry Bonds.

He broke the NL record by reaching base in 15 consecutive plate appearances, walking his first time up, singling in his next two at-bats, and doubling in the seventh. He singled in the ninth to break the record set by the Dodgers' Pedro Guerrero in July 1985.

"I wasn't paying any attention to that. We were losing," said Bonds, who has five singles, two doubles, two homers and six walks during his streak.

The three-time MVP is one plate appearance shy of tying the major-league record set by Ted Williams in 1957.

"That's a great achievement," Giants manager Dusty Baker said. "None of us realized it was even happening until his fourth time up when he tied Pedro's record. I didn't even know Pedro had that record."

San Francisco fell three games behind Chicago and two games behind the New York Mets in the NL wild-card race.

Jeff Shaw got one out for his 40th save, becoming the fifth pitcher in major league history with 40 or more saves in consecutive seasons

"I didn't want to use Shaw, but we came into a situation where I didn't want (reliever Sean) Maloney to face Bonds and (Jeff) Kent in that part of the game," Dodgers manager Glenn Hoffman said.

Darren Dreifort (8-12) won consecutive starts for the first time since May despite giving up two-run homers to Ellis Burks and pinch-hitter Armando Rios -- his first major-league hit. Dreifort gave up four runs and eight hits in seven innings, struck out eight and walked four.

"We scored eight runs. It was awesome," Dreifort said. "It's nice to beat anybody."

Grudzielanek extended the Dodgers' lead to 6-0 with a three-run homer in third off Shawn Estes (7-9). Los Angeles got three runs in the second on an RBI single by Johnson and a two-run, two-out single by Eric Young.

Burks hit his 20th homer in the sixth after Bonds was caught stealing for the second time by Johnson, who got both runs back in the bottom half with his 18th homer to make it 8-2.

"He's probably gotten me more than I've stolen bases off him," Bonds said of Johnson.

Rios narrowed the deficit to 8-4 in the seventh, driving a 3-2 pitch into left field while batting for reliever Chris Brock.

Estes gave up six runs and six hits in five innings after being recalled earlier Friday from a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Fresno. The left-hander missed 44 games with a strained shoulder.

Bill Mueller hit an RBI single in the ninth to make it 8-5.

Notes