NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Pirates Power Past the Reds Again, 9-3

Barry Bonds says if pitchers don’t want pitch to Bobby Bonilla, then, “They’re going to have to pitch to me.” If the truth be known, most pitchers would rather not pitch to either one and Thursday night was an example why.

Bonilla hit a grand slam to cap Pittsburgh’s six-run fifth inning and Bonds added a two-run homer as the Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds for the fifth consecutive time, 9-3, at Pittsburgh.

Zane Smith (9-7) gave up two runs in 6 1/3 innings to win his third in a row since being traded to Pittsburgh on Aug 8. The Pirates have won 10 of their last 12, including their first four-game sweep ever in Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium last weekend.

“(The Mets) thought we’d get uptight,” Bonilla said. “Hey, we’re having fun. If you don’t have fun now, you’re going to start having ulcers and getting gray hairs.”

Don Slaught doubled, tripled and drove in a run as the Pirates improved to 44-20 against the National League West.

Bonilla (29 homers, 89 runs batted in) and Bonds (25 homers, 92 RBIs) have given the Pirates baseball’s most powerful 1-2 combination east of Oakland.

Bonilla has four home runs and nine RBIs in his last five games against Cincinnati. His 29 homers are by the most by Pittsburgh player since Jason Thompson hit 31 in 1982.

San Francisco 6, Philadelphia 3--Ernest Riles tied a club record with his fourth pinch home run of the season and reliever Francisco Oliveras pitched three scoreless innings for his first NL victory as the Giants defeated the Phillies at San Francisco.

The Giants, who have won three of four games, moved to within 6 1/2 games of first-place Cincinnati in the NL West and broke a six-game losing streak against the Phillies.

Riles’ three-run homer off reliever Dennis Cook (8-3) came in a four-run, fourth-inning rally and gave the Giants a 4-3 lead. He tied the franchise record set in 1978 by Mike Ivie and tied by Candy Maldonado in 1986.

Houston 8, Atlanta 3--Glenn Wilson had four of Houston’s season-high 18 hits, scored three runs and drove in two to lead the Astros at Atlanta.

Mark Portugal (7-9) scattered seven hits over six innings and won his third consecutive decision.

The Astros took a 1-0 lead in the second on consecutive singles by Wilson, Mark Davidson and Rafael Ramirez off Charlie Leibrandt (5-8). Franklin Stubbs’ RBI single and Carl Nichols’ sacrifice fly made it 3-0 in the fourth.