Gonzalez, Witt Lift Diamondbacks

Luis Gonzalez became the 19th major league player to hit 50 home runs in a season, and the Arizona Diamondbacks widened their National League West lead to 41/2 games Wednesday night with a 2-0 victory over the second-place San Francisco Giants at Phoenix.

Bobby Witt, out of baseball most of last season and injured much of this one, pitched 51/3 innings for Arizona in his second start of the year and first since April 7.

The 37-year-old right-hander, in his 15th major league season, strained his right hamstring running from first to third after singling in the fourth inning. But he stayed in the game until he retired the leadoff batter in the sixth.

The Diamondbacks won their ninth home game in a row.

San Francisco has lost five of six and has scored one run in 18 innings in the first two games of this three-game series.

Witt (2-1), on the disabled list with a strained elbow and shoulder from April 8 to Aug. 5, a gave up three hits, struck out two and walked one to win for the first time as a starter since Aug. 12, 1999, with Tampa Bay.

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Gonzalez, whose previous career high in homers was 31 set last year, hit Kirk Rueter’s 1-and-0 pitch into the right-field seats just inside the foul pole leading off the fifth.

St. Louis 16, San Diego 14--Jim Edmonds was three for four with a home run and four runs batted in to help the Cardinals end a three-game losing streak at St. Louis.

Ryan Klesko was five for six with two homers, two doubles, and five RBIs for San Diego.

Klesko’s two-run homer in the second inning off the right-field scoreboard was estimated at 472 feet, the longest by a visiting player since Busch Stadium personnel began measuring homers in 1988.

J.D. Drew added a two-run homer, and Albert Pujols hit a three-run shot for the Cardinals, who had their highest-scoring game of the year after getting a total of only three runs in the previous two games.

St. Louis scored a season-best nine runs in the second off Bobby Jones (8-16). Pujols’ 31st homer in the eighth gave the rookie 101 RBIs.

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Atlanta 5, Montreal 3--Wes Helms homered and drove in three runs for the Braves, who snapped a 17-inning scoreless streak at Atlanta.

Tom Glavine (12-7) gave up three runs in the first inning, then shut out the Expos for the next six as the Braves won for only the fourth time in 10 games.

Atlanta moved one game ahead of Philadelphia for first place in the National League East.

Even so, the crowd of 22,327 on a rainy night was the smallest in Turner Field’s five-year history.

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New York 7, Philadelphia 5--Bruce Chen pitched into the seventh inning against his former team, and the Mets held on at New York for their eighth win in 11 games.

The Phillies have lost nine of 13.

Jay Payton homered for the Mets, and Chen (7-6) improved to 3-1 in six starts since coming to New York in a July 27 trade with the Phillies.

Chen worked six-plus innings, striking out five and walking three.

Chicago 5, Florida 1--Jason Bere pitched a three-hitter, and the Cubs capitalized on Mike Lowell’s throwing error in a four-run eighth inning at Chicago.

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Houston 6, Cincinnati 2--Moises Alou and Jeff Bagwell each drove in two runs at Houston to help the Astros maintain a four-game lead in the National League Central with their 10th win in 12 games.

Milwaukee 9, Pittsburgh 8--Mike Coolbaugh hit a two-run double in a five-run fourth inning, then was pinch-hit for in the fifth by Mark Sweeneywho hit a two-run single for the Brewers at Milwaukee.