Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

One of the five charges in Barry Bonds’ perjury trial has been dropped and the defense has rested without calling a single witness.

Bonds’ attorney Allen Ruby announced the move Wednesday morning, which means the slugger will not take the stand in his own defense against charges that he lied to a federal grand jury by saying he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs.

The jury of eight women and four men was sent home and ordered to return Thursday to begin deliberations after hearing closing arguments and instructions from the judge.

Before resting, the defense read into evidence a portion of Kimberly Bell’s 2005 grand jury testimony. The defense was trying to show inconsistencies between what Bell, Bonds’ former mistress, told the grand jury and her testimony in the trial last week.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston approved prosecutors’ request to drop the charge Wednesday morning, after it became clear the judge was going to rule that they failed to prove a count that charged the home run king with lying when he denied his personal trainer, Greg Anderson, induced him “to take anything before the 2003 season.”

Prosecutors argued that charge meant that Bonds would be guilty if found to take have knowingly taken any steroid prior to 2003.

But the judge disagreed, ruling that the charge alleged Bonds willfully used designer steroids dubbed “the cream” or “the clear” before the 2003.

Bonds admitted inadvertently taking designer steroids in 2003, but denied any use before then.

The jury will now consider four charges against Bonds. Two accuse him of lying about knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs, a third charges him with lying about being injected by anyone but his doctors and the last is a catchall obstruction charge.

WRITTEN BY ESPN