Williams Runs Well Enough for Arizona

Matt Williams needed only a triple to hit for the cycle Sunday.

Forget that.

“I don’t do triples,” said Williams, who had a two-run homer in helping Arizona cool off the New York Mets, 9-5, at Phoenix.

“I turn triples into doubles.”

Williams, bothered all season by injuries, was three for five for the Diamondbacks, who avoided a three-game sweep by the Mets and kept their string of futility against New York from stretching beyond seven games.

His presence was a factor even beyond his bat, which helped keep Arizona a game behind San Francisco in the National League West and stretched the Diamondbacks’ edge over the Dodgers to 2 1/2 games.

“We all know what Matt brings to this team,” said Greg Colbrunn, who hit a three-run homer. “There’s no secret about it. He’s our cornerstone. He’s everything to this team.”

New York had won 10 of 11 coming into the game.

Williams singled and even legged out a double. With a slow-to-heal strained right thigh muscle, he said he never would have tried to make it to second base a few weeks ago.

“It’s getting there,” Williams said. “I did a lot of running today, so we’ll see how it feels tomorrow, but generally it’s getting better.”

Williams missed the first 43 games of the season after breaking a bone in his right foot with a foul ball in spring training. During his rehabilitation at double-A El Paso, he strained his thigh, extending his stay on the disabled list another 2 1/2 weeks. He came back, but hobbled around the bases and didn’t have his usual wide range at third base.

San Francisco 7, Pittsburgh 1--Ellis Burks drove in three runs and Shawn Estes (11-3) extended his winning streak to six games for the Giants, who won at San Francisco.

Estes, who hasn’t lost in 10 starts since Seattle defeated him June 10, gave up nine hits and an unearned run, struck out four and walked one.

Burks had a sacrifice fly and a two-run double as the Giants won for the fifth time in seven games.

Atlanta 6, St. Louis 4--Andres Galarraga had three hits and three runs batted in for the Braves at St. Louis.

Will Clark homered for the fourth consecutive start since joining the Cardinals at the trading deadline and also had two singles, one scoring a run in the sixth inning. Clark, who is playing first base while Mark McGwire is out because of a knee injury, is nine for 14 with seven RBIs with St. Louis.

Florida 9, Cincinnati 6--Mark Kotsay hit a two-run home run in the first inning, and Derrek Lee and Andy Fox hit successive homers off Danny Graves (10-3) in the eighth for the Marlins, who completed their first series sweep at Cincinnati.

Florida has won five in a row and moved back above .500 (56-55) after losing 98 games last season.

Philadelphia 10, Colorado 9--Travis Lee went three for five with four RBIs and Mike Lieberthal scored three runs and drove in two for the Phillies, who blew almost all of a 10-run lead at Denver.

Lee, acquired from Arizona on July 26 in the Curt Schilling trade, had his first three-hit game for Philadelphia, which stopped a five-game losing streak.

Houston 8, Montreal 1--Chris Truby hit his first grand slam and had six RBIs, and Scott Elarton (12-4) pitched a four-hitter in his first complete game, leading the Astros at Houston.

Truby went three for three, with a double and his fourth homer of the season, his third of the series. The grand slam off Mike Thurman (2-3) broke a 1-1 tie in the third inning. Truby added an RBI double in the fifth and a run-scoring infield hit in the sixth.

San Diego 8, Chicago 6--Adam Eaton gave up two runs in seven innings for the Padres, who won at San Diego and have seven victories in their last eight games.

Mark Grace went five for five with a homer, two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored for Chicago.

Eaton (3-2) gave up seven hits and is 2-1 in his last four starts after going 0-1 in his previous eight.