The Associated Press

NEW YORK - San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds left the team Thursday and headed back to the Bay area to spend time with his ailing father.

Bonds was officially placed on baseball's bereavement list.

"This is an opportunity for him to go back and spend some time with his dad," Giants spokesman Blake Rhodes said. "He didn't really have a chance to do that at the All-Star break."

The NL West leaders hope their left fielder, who leads the majors with 37 home runs, can rejoin them Tuesday when they play Atlanta at home.

Former major leaguer Bobby Bonds has been ill with lung cancer and numerous other ailments. Last month, Barry Bonds missed a game to be with his father when he had open-heart surgery.

Bobby Bonds underwent surgery on a brain tumor in April.

TIGERS: Third baseman Eric Munson was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a fracture of his left thumb. The move is retroactive to Aug. 12.

TWINS: Minnesota designated right-hander James Baldwin for assignment and replaced him in the bullpen by recalling right-hander Grant Balfour.

Baldwin gave up four homers in 2 1/3 innings over his last two appearances and had a 5.40 ERA in 15 innings. Balfour had a 3.24 ERA in 8 1/3 innings during an earlier stint with the Twins.

ASTROS: Houston signed reliever Rick White, who was designated for assignment earlier this month by the White Sox after he criticized manager Jerry Manuel's handling of the bullpen. He was 1-2 with a 6.61 ERA in 34 games with Chicago.

PIRATES: Manager Lloyd McClendon was ejected for the fourth time this season after screaming at umpires Eric Cooper and Mike Reilly during Thursday's game against St. Louis.

McClendon said Renteria bunted through a pitch, only to have Cooper call it a ball. He also said he used no profanity before being ejected.

MASCOTS: Milwaukee's racing sausages, still smarting after being whacked by the Pirates' bat-wielding Randall Simon last month, will take on Pittsburgh's pierogies in a match race during the Brewers-Pirates game tonight at PNC Park. The winner will be awarded the Golden Skillet for mascot-racing excellence.

The sausages and pierogies will race next week in Milwaukee.