Giants Make It to the Top in the West

Bobby Estalella and Marvin Benard hit solo home runs in the sixth inning to ruin rookie Adam Eaton’s perfect-game bid, and the San Francisco Giants went on to a 3-1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at San Diego.

Eaton, 22, retired the first 16 Giants he faced before Estalella hit an 0-and-1 fastball into the left-field stands with one out in the sixth for his 11th homer.

One batter later, Benard took Eaton (2-2) deep on a full-count fastball, his ninth homer, to give the Giants a 2-1 lead.

The victory moved San Francisco into first place in the National League West by two percentage points over the Arizona Diamondbacks, who lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-4.

Giant starter Shawn Estes (10-3) gave up one run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings. The only run Estes gave up was Ruben Rivera’s first-inning homer, his 12th of the season. The left-hander struck out one and walked six.

Eaton gave up three runs on five hits over seven innings, struck out five and walked two.

Chicago 14, Philadelphia 9--Mark Grace hit a grand slam in the ninth and Sammy Sosa capped the six-run inning at Philadelphia with his second homer.

Grace went four for five with a career-high six runs batted in, Sosa belted his 30th and 31st homers and Chicago scored the go-ahead run on a bases-loaded walk against Paul Byrd (2-9). The Cubs have won a season-high five consecutive games.

Houston 3, Cincinnati 2--Moises Alou hit the last of the Astros’ three sixth-inning homers as the Astros completed a three-game sweep at Cincinnati.

Red shortstop Barry Larkin left in the fourth inning after suffering a dislocated pinkie finger on his right hand while making a tumbling catch. The Reds said he could be back in the lineup Friday.

Houston, with the major leagues’ worst record, completed its first sweep of the season and its first at Cincinnati since September 1986. The Astros have won a season-high five in a row.

Pittsburgh 5, Milwaukee 4--Jose Silva beat the Brewers for the second time in a week after going winless as a starter for more than a year, pitching four-hit ball over seven innings at Pittsburgh.

Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run home run against Jimmy Haynes (9-10), while two Pirate runs scored on errors as the Brewers lost their fifth in six games.

Silva (7-4) matched a career high with eight strikeouts and gave up only an unearned run in his second consecutive strong start against the Brewers. Milwaukee’s lone run against Silva came when third baseman Ramirez threw away Marquis Grissom’s apparent inning-ending grounder after Haynes’ two-out double in the fifth.

Atlanta 6, Florida 3--Kevin Millwood won for the first time in five weeks, John Rocker picked up his first save in more than a month and the Braves used a makeshift lineup to win at Atlanta.

Javy Lopez homered for the second night in a row and Wally Joyner, filling in at first base for the injury-plagued Braves, hit his 199th homer.

Rocker, who had 38 saves last season, pitched the final two innings for his 13th save--but first since June 23 against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Montreal at New York, ppd., rain--The game was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader today.