NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Bonds Hits Two More Homers, Giants Win

After a slow first half of the season, Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants are in a groove.

Bonds hit two home runs and drove in three runs for the second consecutive night Saturday, sending San Francisco to its seventh consecutive victory, 4-2 over the Expos at Montreal.

“He’s locking in there,” Giant Manager Dusty Baker said of Bonds. “He’s healthy, he’s strong and it seems he’s got his concentration back. He’s been fun to watch these last couple of days, and we’re back in the race.”

Bonds hit solo homers--his 26th and 27th--against Ken Hill (13-4) and added a run-scoring single in the seventh inning that chased Hill. Bonds has homered 12 times in his last 22 games.

John Burkett (6-7) limited Montreal to two runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two. Rod Beck pitched the ninth for his 19th save.

“Bonds is hot,” Expo Manager Felipe Alou said. “You can’t pitch him when he’s hot. But if you don’t, you’ve got a guy with 33 home runs next (Matt Williams), then (Darryl) Strawberry.”

Strawberry, still undefeated in a Giant uniform, went two for four with a towering fly ball to the wall in right-center.

Colorado 15, St. Louis 4--Dante Bichette homered and drove in four runs and Andres Galarraga had two home runs and three RBIs for the Rockies at Denver.

The Rockies, in beating St. Louis for the third consecutive time in the series and fifth in a row overall, have scored 33 runs on 39 hits in the first three games of this four-game series.

Lance Painter (3-3) gave up seven hits and three runs in seven innings for the Rockies. Cardinal starter Omar Olivares (1-2) lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits and six walks.

Atlanta 7, Florida 5--Fred McGriff hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning and Jose Oliva added two home runs to lead the Braves to a come-from-behind victory at Atlanta.

With the Braves trailing, 4-3, Roberto Kelly and Dave Justice reached base before McGriff hit his 24th home run of the season to give reliever Mark Wohlers (6-1), who worked one-third of an inning, the victory. Greg McMichael pitched the ninth for his 19th save, matching his total from last year.

Oliva, a rookie third baseman, hit his third and fourth homers. He is 10-for-22 with two doubles, four homers and six RBIs. McGriff has five homers and 14 RBIs in his last 12 games.

New York 5, San Diego 4--Todd Hundley drove in two runs in a three-run first inning as rookie Jason Jacome won his first start at Shea Stadium in New York.

Hundley’s two-run single in the first helped Jacome win for the second time in three starts for New York.

“What I like about him is that he pitches with his head and his heart,” Met Manager Dallas Green said of Jacome, who gave up two runs and eight hits while striking out three in six innings.

“Tonight he struggled a bit in the sixth inning, leaving some of his pitches up. I decided to let him go out with the lead and take advantage of the pinch-hitting opportunity.”

John Franco gave up two runs in the ninth but struck out Eddie Williams with runners on first and third for the final out and his 20th save.

Scott Sanders (3-7) took the loss.

Houston 7, Pittsburgh 1--Pete Harnisch won his fourth consecutive start since coming off the disabled list and the Astros held onto an early lead, unlike Friday when the Pirates rallied from an 8-0 deficit to win at Pittsburgh.

Scott Servais and Orlando Miller had run-scoring singles in the second inning and Luis Gonzalez hit a solo homer in the fourth as Houston took a 3-0 lead against Zane Smith (9-7).

Harnisch (6-4) lasted seven innings for the first time since coming off the disabled list June 30, giving up five hits and an unearned run with four strikeouts and no walks.

Chicago 7, Cincinnati 2--Mike Morgan pitched his first complete game in a year and the Cubs hit four solo homers at Cincinnati.

“This is a step in the right direction,” Morgan said. “All year, on and off the field, I’ve struggled. I said I’m going to see what I’m made of. I’ve got 24 players and a coaching staff behind me. I forgot what happened in the first half.”

Morgan (2-9) gave up seven hits as he went the distance for the first time since July 15 of last year. Glenallen Hill scored three times, doubled twice and homered for Chicago.