Perjury case delayed

Bonds is facing a new indictment

The perjury case against Barry Bonds was put on hold for three months yesterday, with prosecutors telling a federal judge they plan to obtain a new indictment against baseball's home run king.

US District Judge Susan Illston had told prosecutors on Feb. 29 to fix their original indictment because it lumped multiple allegations into too few counts. Illston said prosecutors needed to drop some of the allegations from the indictment or add more charges.

At a brief court hearing yesterday, assistant US attorney Matt Parrella didn't say when the government will ask a grand jury for a new indictment. Illston ordered the sides to return to court June 6, making it likely any trial would not start before 2009.

Bonds was indicted in November on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice, charges stemming from 2003 grand jury testimony in which he denied knowingly taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

Pedro looks solid

Pedro Martínez gave up two runs and five hits in five innings and David Wright hit a two-run homer in the Mets' 8-2 win over the Nationals at Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Martínez was particularly effective spotting his fastball, consistently clocked in the 87-89 mile-per-hour range, and getting ahead in the count.

"I felt like I could have thrown three more [innings]," Martínez said.

Martínez was pulled after five innings and 71 pitches. Last season, when he returned from shoulder surgery, he was kept on a 90-pitch count.

McNamee in car crash

Brian McNamee, the former personal trainer who said he injected Roger Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone, fainted while driving and crashed his car head-on into a city bus in New York yesterday.

McNamee told police he blacked out because of an ongoing medical problem, the Daily News and New York Post reported.

No one was seriously hurt, according to the newspapers, and no one was charged in the accident.

Sabathia hears it

Motivated by the pep talk from pitching coach Carl Willis, C.C. Sabathia settled down after giving up three runs in the first three innings and the Indians defeated the Braves, 6-4, at Kissimmee, Fla.

Sabathia, who allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings, said his pitching coach's message was loud and clear.

"[Willis] told me after the third inning to throw with more intensity, dial it up a little bit," Sabathia said. "The lasers going all over the park" were more hints he needed to pitch better, he added.

Braves starter John Smoltz was held out of the game because of tightness in his shoulder. He said he would have been available for a regular-season game.

DL for Garciaparra?

Dodgers third baseman Nomar Garciaparra will likely miss the season opener because of a broken bone in his right hand. Although Garciaparra would not put a timetable on his return, manager Joe Torre said he "does not anticipate" him being ready for Opening Day and said he could start the season on the disabled list . . . Dontrelle Willis gave up five runs and seven hits with four walks in 3 1/3 innings in the Tigers' 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays at Lakeland, Fla. The lefthander, acquired with Miguel Cabrera during the offseason from the Marlins, has a 6.59 ERA and has been battling control problems. "He's not doing his mechanics the right way," manager Jim Leyland said. "I don't mind his funky delivery, but not all the different types of funkiness I've been seeing this spring." . . . Randy Johnson, coming off his second back surgery in less than a year, allowed three runs, struck out three, and walked two in 3 2/3 innings of the Diamondbacks' 9-8 loss to the Dodgers at Tucson.