The Giants bullpen blew a two-run lead Tuesday night, victimizing hard-luck starter Matt Cain once again and giving the slumping Padres — who had lost five straight and almost given up the wild card lead — reason to hope.

Of course, the Giants still had their at-bats in the 9th inning, and since it had already been firmly announced that Barry Bonds would be in the starting lineup the next night in his last home game ever as a Giant, you might think he would be available to pinch-hit. With one out and one on, he would have been the tying run at the plate.

But Bonds, who had earlier been seen pacing in the dugout and playfully taking over a TV cameraman’s post at one point, was not available for a pinch-hit role in the 9th inning. Why? Because he had already changed out of his uniform. As reported after the game by KNBR, Bonds was already in his street clothes as the Giants folded in the 9th.

But he will start tomorrow. And he’ll probably say he’s doing it for the fans. He couldn’t possibly care about his teammates.