FUKUOKA, Japan -- Before winning another NL MVP award, Barry Bonds homered again for the major league all-star team, their only runs Monday in an 8-2 loss to their Japanese counterparts.

Bonds crushed a two-run homer in the first inning at Fukuoka Dome to give his team the lead but Japan rallied and took a 2-0 lead in the seven-game series.

"It was nice to get the early lead," Bonds said. "But we're just not playing well. We're not getting any hits and they are."

Bonds struck out three times in the first game Sunday and is 1-for-7 in the series. He was MVP of the 2000 exhibition tour of Japan, hitting four homers with nine RBI.

Hideki Matsui went 1-for-4 with a single that struck pitcher Mark Buerhle, knocking him out of the game. The outfielder becomes a free agent Tuesday and is expected to be pursued by the Yankees.

Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki went 0-for-5 and is hitless in nine at-bats in his return to Japan. The Yankees' Bernie Williams and Jason Giambi were also hitless Monday, and the major leaguers managed just seven hits.

The Japanese all-stars, who won 8-4 at Tokyo Dome on Sunday, tied the score in the third when Hiroki Kokubo singled, Kosuke Fukudome tripled and Kazuo Matsui hit a sacrifice fly.

Japan's all-stars went ahead 6-2 in the fourth after Hideki Matsui lined a ball off Buerhle's left shoulder for a single. Buerhle left with a bruise, an injury not considered to be serious, and Arizona's Miguel Batista relieved.

"It's just sore," Buerhle said. "It feels like someone punched me in the shoulder. I saw it coming back at me and just tried to get out of the way."

Michihiro Ogasawara hit a two-run single, and Hiroki Kokubo followed with a two-run homer.

Alex Cabrera, who used to play for Arizona and tied Japan's single-season record with 55 homers this season, homered off Batista in the fifth and singled home a run in the seventh.

Kenshin Kawakami, who went 12-6 in the regular season and pitched a no-hitter on Aug. 1, allowed two runs and five hits in six innings and got the win.

"I thought they would hit me more," he said. "I was told to pitch them inside and it worked."

Game Three is scheduled for Tuesday at Osaka Dome. Montreal's Tomo Ohka may start for the major leaguers.