HOUSTON -- Hey, I wouldn't pitch to him, either.

Barry Bonds did his best to goad the Astros into challenging him before Tuesday's series opener in Houston, rattling the cage by telling the national media such things about Houston pitchers as, "They've always been up to the challenge," and "I've never known them to back down from any situation," and "I want their best."

The Bonds Watch

Up to bat First inning, vs. right-hander Shane Reynolds, one out, runner on first base. Strike followed by HBP on right arm. It's the ninth time this season and second plate appearance in a row Bonds has been hit. Fourth inning, vs. Reynolds, none out, runner on second. Ball, ball, strike, ball, ball -- walk. All pitches right around the strike zone. Sixth inning, vs. Reynolds, leading off. Ball just outside. Single up the middle. Seventh inning, vs. Reynolds, two out, runners on first and third. Ball, ball, ball -- intentional ball four. Ninth inning, vs. Billy Wagner, two out, none on. Gas. Ball, ball, foul, 3-1 groundout. Overheard "Depends. Probably. It depends on what team you are talking about, too. If you are Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, sure. They are the best. When you have the best staff here, and Shane Reynolds has been their best, sure. I'm going to say, 'You go out. That's your job. That's why you're the best.' " -- Bonds, on whether he would pitch to himself. Ballpark figures Reynolds threw Bonds 13 pitches and only two were strikes (even the pitch he hit for a single was probably outside). "You can't do anything if you're not pitched to," Bonds said. "You have to take what they give you." Whether you think Reynolds should or should not have challenged Barry, you have to admit he's been successful. Bonds is 9-for-36 (.250) with two home runs against him. "If I go back over the 15 years I've been in baseball and look at all the pitchers I've faced, I'd say they've all had more success against me than I've had against them," Bonds said diplomatically. "I've probably faced 2,000 pitchers but most of them have won more battles than I have. I may have hit a home run to win a game against somebody, but I also probably went 1-for-4 and they got me out three times, too. So they've won more battles." Hmmm. You think the pitchers see it that way? Around the ballpark The sellout crowd of 43,548 at Enron Field was the largest crowd since the Astros moved into their new stadium. They greeted Bonds with a mix of cheers and jeers -- more the former than the latter -- when he batted in the first inning. They were standing on their feet and mostly applauding when he batted in the ninth inning with the Astros down 4-1. "It's a whole different world for me," Bonds said of the increased cheers. "I've had such negative talk, this is almost overwhelming." Friendly confines Houston's ballpark measures 315 down the left-field line, so short that it violates major league policy, but at least there is a 19-foot-wall to offer some protection. The right-field fence is a dainty 326 feet from home plate, with only a standard fence keeping fly balls from landing in the bleachers. But when the Man Who Would Be King, when he steps to the plate here, he says he sees a park so big Ansel Adams should be there with a box camera to photograph Half Dome, El Capitan and Yosemite Falls. "Every time I go into a smaller ballpark, I imagine it being bigger than it is," Bonds said. "I think you're a better hitter in a bigger ballpark because you can take a lot more advantage of the field. So I'm always imagining the park is waaaaay big." Bonds has four home runs in seven game here. Up next Wednesday, at Houston, vs. RHP Tim Redding. Bonds vs. Redding: 0-for-2.

"It's an inner feeling inside all of us, I believe, that you just want their best and you want to compete and you want to not feel cheated," Bonds said. "I have a lot more pride to walk off the field and say, 'You won,' than to not get the chance."

Sorry, Barry. You didn't get many strikes. And you weren't cheated, either.

There are some people who expect opponents to put the ball up on a tee and let Barry hit from second base so he can break Mark McGwire's home run record -- essentially challenging the manhood of pitchers who deign not to groove a batter belt-high fastballs. It's nonsense. This isn't about cowardice or home run records. It's about winning and losing.

Let's look at this realistically. Barry is having one of the greatest offensive seasons in history. He not only has 69 home runs, he has an .845 slugging percentage and a .508 on-base percentage. The only place you see numbers like that is in a Strat-O-Matic league with loaded dice.

The man batting behind him is Jeff Kent. Although Kent was last year's MVP (it should have been Barry, but that's another story), he is hitting just .264 with runners in scoring position.

Which player would you rather face?

Remember, Houston is fighting for the NL Central title. Tuesday night's loss dropped the Astros into a tie with the Cardinals. While both teams probably will go to the playoffs, there is a substantial difference between going into the postseason as the NL Central champ and going in as the wild card. One will likely have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The other never will.

Plus, Houston is not guaranteed a playoff spot yet. The Astros/Cardinals hold a four-game lead over the Giants for the wild card but that lead could be down to two games -- with a season-closing series against the rolling Cardinals -- if San Francisco sweeps this series.

So, again. Why pitch to Barry?

Despite Barry's best efforts, the Astros generally didn't. Oh, closer Billy Wagner challenged him with fastballs in the ninth inning once the game was all but decided, but when the game was still close, starter Shane Reynolds only occasionally strayed into the strike zone, otherwise staying right outside of it by a frustrating inch or so.

"If he went for it, fine. If not, he gets put on first base," Reynolds said. "The situation dictated it. You can't take a chance and leave a ball out there for him to hit."

The strategy worked. Reynolds hit Bonds in the first inning, walked him in the fourth and walked him in the seventh. Kent went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and the Giants did not score any of those innings. Reynolds got Bonds to bite on one of those outside pitches in the sixth and he singled. He also scored that inning.

"Some people want to see him hit a home run or want to catch the ball but real fans know we're trying to win a ballgame," Reynolds said. "If we were up three or four runs and no one was on base, it would be a different situation and you would go after him. But the situation wasn't like that. You just can't give him a pitch to hit in a close game with a runner on base."

This is a different situation than 1998 when the Cardinals and Expos met the final weekend with nothing on the line other than McGwire's home run total. That was when then-Montreal manager Felipe Alou said he was developing pitchers, not cowards. And he was right in that situation. Just as the Astros are right in this situation.

Do you pitch to Barry? The answer is obvious to anyone who has watched him this season. If you need to win, you do not. Because when you throw Barry a strike, very bad things happen to your team.

Box score line of the week
He's a two-time MVP and a 20-time All-Star, but Cal Ripken Jr. will always be associated with his record-playing streak and the man whom he passed, Lou Gehrig. Ripken played his final game at Yankee Stadium -- the stadium where Gehrig's plaque describes his 2,130-game playing streak as "a record that will never be broken" -- which would have been the final game of his career under the original schedule. It would have been a miserable ending had it been.

On a long, rainy afternoon, the Yankees and Orioles played to 1-1 tie before the game finally was called after the 15th inning. Ripken batted seven times in the game and went hitless each time. His line:

7 AB, 0 H, 0 R, 0 RBI

Ripken went hitless the next two nights as well, extending his hitless streak to 29 at-bats, lowering his average from .260 to .245.

From left field
The Athletics were 10 games below .500 and 12 games out of first place by May 1. Since then, they have gone 89-42 and are on the verge of winning 100 games, an amazing comeback. It hasn't helped them overcome the Mariners, who went 92-39 during the same stretch, but it did earn them the wild-card slot. Which is more than can be said of the eight previous teams to win 100 games without winning their division or league pennant, all of whom also spent October at home during those pre-wild card days:

Year    Team            Record     GB
1909    Cubs            104-49     6½
1942    Dodgers 	104-50     2 
1954    Yankees 	103-51     8 
1993    Giants          103-59     1 
1962    Dodgers 	102-63     1* 
1961    Tigers          101-61     8 
1915    Tigers          100-54     2½
1980    Orioles         100-62     3 
1978    Red Sox   	99-64      1* 

*record includes three-game playoff with Giants

Win Blake Stein's money
This week's category is: And Despite All That, It Was Buddy Biancalana Who Wound Up On Letterman.

Q. Who was the last player to hit more than 35 home runs for a World Series champion?

Power rankings

1. Rudy Giuliani Most comforting NY presence since Gehrig batted behind Ruth

2. Barry Bonds May see his next strike in 2003

3. Athletics Oakland clubhouse so wild you need an E-ticket and pass height requirement to enter

4. Mariners Tuberculosis in Seattle clubhouse? Or just a potent strain of pennant fever?

5. Lee Greenwood He's heard more often at ballparks these days than the Pepsi jingle

6. Tony Gwynn Retirement doesn't mean he's leaving club, he'll continue serving as the Swinging Friar logo

7. Angels Not even the Taliban knows where Tim Salmon's stroke is hiding

8. Cal Ripken Jr. Despite appearances to contrary, his last game isn't until this weekend

9. Wall Street Stock market in worse shape than David Wells after weekend at Oktoberfest

10. Red Sox Boston falls below .500, Duquette responds by firing bat boy

A: Steve Balboni, who hit 36 with the 1985 Royals.

Voice of summer
"As a coach you are always looking for the best players. And you know, in his case, I know what his dad did. I know what type of player he is, but he's still Barry Bonds, so (the son) is still going to have Barry Bonds in him, which is going to be tough to deal with. But you catch him early enough, you start talking to him early enough, maybe you can make a difference."

-- Tony Gwynn, on when he would begin recruiting Barry Bonds' 11-year-old son now that he is taking over as the new San Diego State baseball coach.

Jim Caple is a senior writer for ESPN.com.