Brewers Are Overpowering in 11-6 Victory

The Milwaukee Brewers had a case of home run fever Saturday night.

“Hitting is contagious,” said Jeromy Burnitz, one of five Brewers who hit home runs in an 11-6 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee.

“That’s one of the oldest things you hear in baseball, and it’s the truth. No doubt about it.”

Consecutive home runs by Richie Sexson and Burnitz highlighted a five-run third inning when the Brewers took a 6-1 lead before a crowd of 42,080, the largest to attend a game at new Miller Park.

San Francisco’s Barry Bonds hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning for his fourth of the season and 498th of his career. Mark Gardner (0-1) gave up seven runs on eight hits in the loss.

Colorado 9, Arizona 8--Jeff Cirillo’s two-run homer broke a seventh-inning tie as the Rockies wasted a five-run lead before rallying at Denver. Cirillo had three runs batted in, and Todd Helton went three for four with a homer and two RBIs for the Rockies, who beat an NL West rival for the first time in five games.

With the game tied at 7-7 in the seventh, Helton hit a one-out single off Byung-Hyun Kim (0-1), and Cirillo lined Kim’s next pitch into the left-field stands for his third homer.

Philadelphia 2, Atlanta 1--Omar Daal, who is coming off a 4-19 season, gave up one run in six innings and Pat Burrell hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth to lead the Phillies at Atlanta.

Cincinnati 1, New York 0--The Reds set the modern NL record by scoring in their 175th consecutive game, and Chris Reitsma (2-0) gave up five hits in 7 1/3 innings at New York.

The Mets wasted a bases-loaded, one-out chance in the eighth. Danny Graves relieved Reitsma and got Mike Piazza to hit into a double play.

Houston 7, St. Louis 4--The Cardinals’ Rick Ankiel (1-1) took the loss after walking five and striking out six in five innings at St. Louis.

The Astros got two home runs from Chris Truby.

Scott Elarton (2-1) overcame early trouble, retiring 17 of 18 batters after allowing consecutive home runs to Jim Edmonds and Bobby Bonilla with two outs in the first. Mark McGwire, who didn’t start in order to rest his surgically repaired right knee, grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.

Chicago 7, Pittsburgh 6--Pinch-hitter Gary Matthews Jr. hit a go-ahead single in a four-run eighth inning at Chicago as the Cubs won their fourth in a row.

Rondell White tied the score at 4-4 with a leadoff homer in the eighth off Jose Silva (1-1). After Matthews’ hit, Scott Sauerbeck walked in a run and Sammy Sosa hit a sacrifice fly that made it 7-4.

Montreal 8, Florida 2--Vladimir Guerrero hit his first homer of the season in the fifth inning and added an RBI double, and Britt Reames pitched six strong innings for the Expos at Montreal.