RAPP MAINTAINS TOUGH-LUCK REP BONDS MAKES HIM PAY AS ANGELS FALL SHORT SAN FRAN. 3, ANGELS 2.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

SAN FRANCISCO - Angels pitcher Pat Rapp just might have found his way into the record books.

If San Francisco's Barry Bonds goes on to break Mark McGwire's single- season home run record, Rapp will find his name next to the No. 33 - as in, ``Bonds' 33rd homer of the season was surrendered by ...''

Bonds homered on the first pitch Rapp threw him in the first inning, leading the Giants to a 3-2 victory over the Angels in front of 36,422 at Pac Bell Park.

Bonds, on pace for 84 homers this season, has reached 33 faster than anybody in baseball history, doing it in the Giants' 64th game. McGwire didn't hit No. 33 until the Cardinals' 70th game of the season, on his way to a record 70 homers in 1998.

Bonds' home run Tuesday splashed down in McCovey Cove beyond the right-field wall, the 15th homer in the ballpark's 1 1/2-year history to end up wet. Twelve of the 15 have been hit by Giants players, 11 by Bonds. It was also his 527th career homer, 11th best all-time.

The Angels made things interesting against Giants' closer Robb Nen, getting three hits in the ninth - including an RBI single by Scott Spiezio. But with the potential tying run on third base, Nen struck out Jorge Fabregas to end it.

Bonds' homer wasn't what hurt Rapp most. He gave up a two-out RBI single to Giants starting pitcher Kirk Rueter in the second inning and a solo homer to leadoff hitter Calvin Murray in the fifth.

Rueter went into the game hitting .130, and Murray had one homer all season before Tuesday.

Otherwise, Rapp pitched well. He gave up the three runs (two earned) and eight hits in seven innings but fell to 1-7 because Rueter was a little better.

Rueter gave up one run and five hits in seven innings, allowing only a solo homer by Shawn Wooten in the fifth inning. The Angels' lack of offense in a game pitched by Rapp, though, is nothing new.

The Angels have scored a total of three runs in Rapp's last three starts. He is 0-3 in those games even though his ERA is 2.14 (five earned runs in 21 innings). In Rapp's 13 starts this season, the Angels have averaged just 3.1 runs per game.

``I think he has mixed emotions,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Rapp's tough luck. ``He's certainly proud of the way he's pitched. He's kept us in games he's pitched, and it's more than that. He should have won many of them. But he's also frustrated with his win total because it hasn't reflected the way he's thrown the ball.''

The loss prevented the Angels from going two games over .500 for the first time since April 13, when they were 6-4. Instead, at 31-31, they fell a season-worst 18 games behind first-place Seattle in the AL West.

Though the Angels have struggled with runners in scoring position this season, that really wasn't the case Tuesday because opportunities were few. In fact, they had only five at-bats - getting one hit - with runners in scoring position, and three of those came in the ninth inning.