Bonds Hits His 59th Homer in Giant Win

Barry Bonds hit his major league-leading 59th home run and Rich Aurilia homered twice to lead the San Francisco Giants over the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-2, Tuesday night at San Francisco.

Aurilia broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run homer in the seventh off Miguel Batista after pinch-hitter Eric Davis doubled off Greg Swindell (2-3). Bonds followed with his 553rd career homer, a drive that barely cleared the center-field fence.

Bonds hit No. 59 in the Giants’ 139th game, one game faster than Sammy Sosa’s pace in 1999. Mark McGwire reached 59 in the 140th game in 1998, the year he hit a record 70.

It was Bonds’ second home run in as many days. He hit a solo shot off Colorado’s Jason Jennings in a 4-1 loss Monday. It was the sixth time this season the Giants have hit back-to-back home runs.

San Francisco moved within 11/2 games of National League-leading Arizona, which has lost four straight.

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St. Louis 6, San Diego 1--Matt Morris of the Cardinals pitched seven shutout innings at San Diego to join Arizona’s Curt Schilling as the only 19-game winners in the majors.

Rookie Albert Pujols hit his 33rd homer for the Cardinals.

Morris (19-7) gave up six hits, struck out five and walked none to win his seventh consecutive start. He also beat the Padres in his previous start, 13-3, at St. Louis on Thursday.

Atlanta 3, Montreal 2--Andruw Jones homered leading off the ninth at Montreal to send the Braves to victory before the smallest Olympic Stadium crowd in 17 years.

The game drew 3,613, the smallest Montreal crowd since Sept. 27, 1984, when 2,803--the smallest crowd since the team moved into Olympic Stadium in 1977--were on hand for a weekday afternoon game against St. Louis.

Houston 7, Cincinnati 1--Roy Oswalt pitched seven shutout innings for his 13th victory and singled home a run at Cincinnati.

Lance Berkman drove in three runs with two infield singles and the Astros also scored on a throwing error and a passed ball, giving Oswalt (13-2) plenty of cushion.

The first-place Astros have taken control of the NL Central by winning 14 of their last 18 games. They extended their lead to four games over the Cubs, who lost to Florida, 8-1.

New York 5, Philadelphia 3 --Steve Trachsel pitched into the eighth inning and Tsuyoshi Shinjo drove in two runs to lead the Mets at Philadelphia.

The Phillies, who dropped three games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East for the first time since Aug. 7, have lost three in a row and 14 of 19.

Florida 8, Chicago 1--Josh Beckett’s major league debut was memorable at Miami. The 21-year-old right-hander gave up one hit in six shutout innings and also doubled and scored as the Marlins won for the just the fifth time in 22 games.

Preston Wilson had a three-run homer and Kevin Millar hit his second career grand slam, providing plenty of run support for Beckett.

Beckett (1-0), the second overall pick in the 1999 amateur draft, struck out five and walked three.

Pittsburgh 5, Milwaukee 2--Warren Morris hit a two-run double in a five-run first inning at Pittsburgh as the Pirates won consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 4-5 and for just the third time in the last 40 games.