NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Bonds Has a Memorable Game

All winter, the San Francisco Giants have been hearing about winning 103 games and losing a division title. Since October, it has gnawed at them and it provided extra incentive Tuesday at Atlanta in the first meeting of the season between the Giants and Braves.

Barry Bonds was talking cool but playing as though his memory is at least six months long. He ran down Charlie O’Brien’s drive in the seventh inning, saving a run and crashing into the left-field fence. Then he hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning of the Giants’ 7-5 victory.

Bonds’ homer tied the score and pinch-hitter John Patterson doubled home the go-ahead run as San Francisco stopped Atlanta’s season-opening winning streak at seven.

After Bonds’ homer, Todd Benzinger singled against John Smoltz (1-1), bringing on Mark Wohlers. After a sacrifice and grounder, Patterson doubled off the left-field fence, then scored on a single by Darren Lewis.

Bonds lay on the ground for about 10 seconds after hitting the wall in the seventh inning.

“My (left) shoulder just popped out and back in,” he said. “I wasn’t worried about it. I knew I could swing. It’s not a big issue.”

Neither, said Bonds, is last season’s finish.

“It’s too early. It’s not how you start, but how you finish,” he said.

Atlanta finished last season by overcoming a 10-game San Francisco lead by winning 75% of its games after July 20. The Braves got two hits in the ninth inning Tuesday before Mike Jackson got the third out for his first save.

Cincinnati 7, Montreal 1--Tony Fernandez hit a three-run homer and Reggie Sanders added a three-run triple at Montreal as the Reds won their sixth in a row.

Tim Pugh (1-0) gave up five hits in eight innings in his first start, striking out five and walking three.

Cincinnati loaded the bases in the third inning against Denis Boucher (0-1) on singles by Brian Dorsett and Barry Larkin and a walk to Fernandez. Sanders then tripled to deep right-center, and scored on Kevin Mitchell’s sacrifice fly.

Fernandez’s first homer for the Reds came with two outs in the fourth inning to make it 7-0.

Pittsburgh 4, San Diego 2--Dave Clark, Al Martin and Don Slaught had run-scoring singles in the eighth inning for the Pirates at Pittsburgh.

Andy Ashby had limited the Pirates to a run on six hits for 7 2/3 innings--the second-longest outing of his career--before leaving with a 2-1 lead after Jeff King’s two-out single.

Mark Davis (0-1) then walked Orlando Merced. Reliever Gene Harris gave up the three RBI singles.

Mark Dewey (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth inning in relief of Steve Cooke, and Rick White pitched the ninth for his first major league save.

Houston 7, Florida 2--Andujar Cedeno homered for the third consecutive game and Luis Gonzalez hit a three-run homer as the Astros spoiled the Marlins’ home opener at Miami.

Cedeno, batting eighth, also singled and doubled in four at-bats and leads the National League with a .538 average.

Scott Servais and Cedeno hit consecutive homers in the second inning against Ryan Bowen (0-2).

Darryl Kile (1-1) gave up five hits and one earned run, striking out eight in six innings. Tom Edens pitched three scoreless innings for his first save.