BASEBALL HISTORY Bonds becomes part of 700 club

He homered off Padres pitcher Jake Peavy in the third inning Friday night.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Though Barry Bonds will treasure his 700th homer, he probably wanted the San Francisco Giants' 4-1 victory over San Diego even more.
Bonds hit his latest historic homer in the third inning Friday night, leading the Giants to their sixth straight win in the opener of their final nine-game homestand.
With a 392-foot solo shot to left-center, Bonds became the first new member of the 700 club in 31 years, joining Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.
Wild-card leaders
Yet Bonds still clings to the hope of adding a World Series title to his list of accomplishments, and this victory kept the Giants (83-65) in front of the Cubs (81-64) by a half-game in the NL wild card race.
San Francisco also kept pressure on Los Angeles in the NL West race, while third-place San Diego lost another chance to make up ground.
Rookie Noah Lowry pitched 6 2/3 strong innings to remain unbeaten in the majors.
But Bonds dominated yet another night at San Francisco's waterfront ballpark, which has seen more than its share of history during the latter years of Bonds' career.
Bonds hit just one homer on the Giants' recent eight-game road trip, reaching 699 in Arizona.
He got to work quickly back home: Instead of dunking another homer in the kayak-infested waters of McCovey Cove, Bonds went to the opposite field on an 0-1 slider from Jake Peavy.
The ball landed a few rows deep in the stands, sparking a celebration with fireworks, streamers, banners and several standing ovations for the 40-year-old slugger.
"It's a tremendous accomplishment," said Expos manager Frank Robinson, fifth on the list with 586 homers. "He's going to hit a lot, lot more. A lot more. It's just a great achievement."
Favors the Padres
Bonds' 42nd homer increased San Francisco's lead to 4-0. He has hit 79 homers against San Diego -- 18 more than any other opponent -- but manager Bruce Bochy promised to pitch to the slugger if game conditions dictated it during the key three-game series.
Bonds finished 1-for-3 with a fly to right and a seventh-inning strikeout against Peavy.
Bonds hit his 500th, 600th, 660th and 661st homers in San Francisco. The 5-year-old park also was the site of his 73rd homer in 2001, capping his single-season record.
Lowry also got a standing ovation when he left the game after Rich Aurilia drove home the Padres' first run with a seventh-inning double.
Lowry, an unassuming left-hander, allowed five hits and two walks. He is off to the best start ever for a San Francisco pitcher, surpassing Juan Marichal's 4-0 start in 1960.
The last Giants rookie to start 5-0 was Clydell "Slick" Castleman, who did it in New York in 1935. Lowry's veteran poise has been invaluable for the Giants, fighting for a playoff spot despite a patchwork rotation.
After Dave Burba got four outs, Dustin Hermanson pitched the ninth for his 14th save in 16 chances.
Early scoring
The Giants scored three runs in the first inning against Peavy (12-6), who hit Bonds and J.T. Snow during the rally. A.J. Pierzynski had a run-scoring single, and Marquis Grissom got a sacrifice fly.
Peavy allowed eight hits and struck out seven in seven innings, but couldn't overcome a rocky first. After going unbeaten in nine starts this summer, Peavy has lost three of four.
Alex Gonzalez went 0-for-2 and played errorless defense at shortstop in his debut with the Padres, who acquired him from Montreal on Thursday to help out their injury-plagued infield.
Rookie Khalil Greene and Sean Burroughs are expected to miss the rest of the regular season. Aurilia injured his ankle while stepping out of his SUV earlier in the week, though he started at third base.