NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Magrane, Cardinals Keep Momentum, 4-3

Three weeks ago, Joe Magrane appeared to be on his way to the minors. Now he and the St. Louis Cardinals hope they’re headed for first place in the National League East.

Magrane won his fourth consecutive start and Gregg Jefferies hit his 10th home run, leading St. Louis past the Florida Marlins, 4-3, Monday night at Miami.

The Cardinals climbed to 10 games over .500 for the first time this season, and they closed to within nine games of first-place Philadelphia.

Magrane (6-6) has been a big part of the St. Louis surge. His earned-run average in his last four starts is 0.94.

‘The game is fun again,” Magrane said. “To get in jams and come out of them--the last four starts, I’ve been able to do that.”

Lee Smith gave up two hits and a run in the ninth but still earned his 24th save, the most in the majors.

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New York 8, Montreal 3--Bobby Bonilla homered and drove in four runs and Dave Telgheder won in his first major league start at New York as the Mets ended a six-game losing streak.

Bonilla hit a two-run double in the first against Brian Barnes (2-2) and added a two-run home run in the fifth against Jeff Fassero after a 1-hour 10-minute rain delay. It was Bonilla’s 18th home run and his third game this season with four or more runs batted in.

Telgheder (1-0) came up on June 11 and made three relief appearances. He gave up two runs and five hits in five innings, walked three and struck out one. Mike Maddux finished for his third save, giving up one run.

New York, which won for only the second time in 14 games, got a two-run homer in the seventh by Eddie Murray against Bill Risley, Murray’s sixth home run of the season and first in 140 at-bats.

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Atlanta 8, Philadelphia 1--Sid Bream had four hits and drove in three runs to lead the Braves at Philadelphia.

Greg Maddux (7-5) gave up seven hits and one run in eight innings for the victory before Mike Stanton finished.

Curt Schilling (8-2) lasted only 2 1/3 innings for the Phillies, giving up eight hits and five runs as the Braves ended the Phillies’ three-game winning streak.

The Braves took a 4-0 lead in the second with five hits, including a pair of doubles and Deion Sanders’ two-run triple. Terry Pendleton opened things with a double, extending his hitting streak to 11 games, and scored on Bream’s one-out double. Mark Lemke singled home Bream, advanced to second on Maddux’s single and both scored when Sanders tripled.

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Chicago 5, Pittsburgh 1--Jose Bautista won as a starter for the first time in four years, pitching four-hit ball over eight innings to lead the Cubs at Pittsburgh.

Sammy Sosa’s three-run triple followed Bautista’s first major league hit in a four-run second inning as the Cubs ended Pittsburgh’s season-high four-game winning streak.

Bautista (2-1), making only his second start in 21 appearances this season, retired the first 10 batters and no runner advanced to second until Jeff King’s leadoff double in the fifth. Ben Shelton’s homer, the first of his career, came in the eighth and ended Bautista’s bid for his first shutout.

Bautista, making only his 37th major league start in 13 seasons of professional baseball, struck out seven and walked none.

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Colorado 5, Cincinnati 4--Dante Bichette’s run-scoring single with two out in the 10th inning gave the Rockies the victory at Denver.

After consecutive singles by pinch-hitter Daryl Boston and Alex Cole with one out, Bichette hit Jeff Reardon’s pitch over the head of center fielder Bobby Kelly into right-center field.

Reliever Steve Reed (3-2) got the victory for the second consecutive game. Reardon (1-1), who relieved starter Jose Rijo in the ninth, took the loss.

Reggie Sanders hit a solo homer against Colorado’s Armando Reynoso in the eighth to tie the score, 4-4.

Vinny Castilla had a two-run triple to highlight a four-run fourth inning.

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San Francisco 2, San Diego 1--Trevor Wilson won his fifth consecutive decision and Willie McGee had three hits, leading the Giants at San Francisco.

The Giants have won six in a row and 12 of 14.

Wilson pitched seven innings, walking one and striking out three. Mike Jackson pitched a scoreless eighth and Rod Beck worked the ninth for his 22nd save.