SAN FRANCISCO — Brett Myers and Barry Bonds both had impressive days at the ballpark. Neither was in much of a position to enjoy it — not with the troubles still awaiting them off the field.

Myers allowed Bonds' 721st homer while pitching seven innings in his first start back from a leave of absence, and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied for four runs in the eighth inning of a 6-2 win over the San Francisco Giants yesterday.

Myers (6-3) allowed five hits and struck out seven, after sitting out nearly three weeks while facing assault charges for allegedly hitting his wife.

Bonds, who went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts, faces the imminent possibility of indictment from a federal grand jury on charges of perjury and tax evasion stemming from the BALCO probe.

They faced each other three times: Bonds flied out to the warning track and struck out before hitting his 13th homer of the season in the sixth inning.

Afterward, Myers echoed Bonds' familiar approach of sidestepping his controversy and speaking only of moving ahead with his life.

"I've got to go out there and do my job regardless of situations," Myers said. "It's something I'm paid to do. I felt like the team needed today, needed to win this series."

San Francisco's fans greeted him with the same reception he's likely to get for the rest of the season: Myers was booed when his name was announced in the starting lineup, and again before each of his three at-bats.

The right-hander kept Philadelphia in the game until the eighth-inning rally keyed by Ryan Howard's tiebreaking RBI single.

Myers hadn't pitched since June 24 — the day after he was arrested for allegedly striking his wife, Kim, in the face on a Boston street corner.