(Courtesy of The Sports Xchange)  Right-hander Angel Guzman figures to be the odd man out if Kerry Wood returns May 17, but he may be sent down to the minors sooner than that.

Guzman is 0-2 with a 7.20 ERA, and he has walked 11 in 15 innings. His chances of making Friday's start against San Diego at Wrigley Field are dwindling.

"We've got to talk," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "If Guzzie is here, we have to figure out a way to get him to win."

The Cubs are not inclined to let left-hander Glendon Rusch move out of the bullpen to make the start. They could use Jerome Williams, who is at Triple-A Iowa. Williams opened the season in the starting rotation but was demoted after two starts.

REPLAY: The Cubs kept Barry Bonds from tying Babe Ruth for second place on the all-time home run list, but their losing streak continued with a 6-1 setback on Tuesday night at AT&T Park.

It was their eighth straight loss, and they have been outscored 42-9. Michael Barrett hit his fifth homer of the season for the lone Cubs run.

Bonds went 1 for 4 with a walk. Bonds he hit a shot off rookie Rich Hill in the fifth inning that went to deep center before Juan Pierre hauled it down at the wall.

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NOTES, QUOTES

 --CF Juan Pierre continues to struggle at the plate, but he made a huge catch in the fifth inning when he robbed Barry Bonds of his 714th home run. Pierre jumped at the fence and hauled the ball in.

--LHP Rich Hill pitched well in spots on Tuesday against San Francisco but overall gave up five runs in six-plus innings in his second major league start of the season. The Cubs must decide if he will make a third start or head back to the minor leagues for more seasoning.

--C Michael Barrett hit a solo home run in the second inning against San Francisco on Tuesday night, and it marked his first RBI since driving in three against St. Louis on April 21. Barrett leads the team with 19 RBIs.

--RHP Ryan Dempster gave up his third run of the season Monday night against San Diego, but it was in a non-save situation. He had not pitched since the previous Monday.

--RHP Kerry Wood, who will make a rehab start at Triple-A Iowa on Friday, hopes to be back with the parent club on May 17. He has been out since undergoing right shoulder surgery last Aug. 31. But Wood is not expecting the Cubs to take off just because he is returning. The Cubs are currently in an offensive slump, which has led to a team nosedive. "I'm just another guy in the rotation trying to get outs," Wood said. "There is no one pitcher who is going to come in and change the whole team the way we're playing."

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