Bonds’ 37th Before Break Ties Record

Barry Bonds hit his 37th home run Tuesday night, a shot that the umpires didn’t immediately acknowledge, to tie the record for most homers before the all-star break.

Bonds’ shot on a 2-and-1 pitch from Adam Eaton in the fifth inning matched the mark for homers before the All-Star break set by Reggie Jackson in 1969 and tied by Mark McGwire in 1998, but the Giants and Padres were tied 3-3 through 10 innings.

Bonds hit a high, arcing shot to right-center field that hit off the front of an advertising sign that hangs just above and a little behind of the fence, and bounced back onto the field.

Bonds pointed to the sign and motioned with his hand that it should be a home run as he pulled into second base.

After the umpires huddled for a moment near second base, second base ump Paul Emmell motioned that it was a homer. TV replays showed the ball bouncing off the sign.

Bonds, who didn’t homer in his previous two games, remains on the quickest home run pace in history, hitting his 37th in 70 games. McGwire hit 37 in 81 games in ‘98, the year he set the single-season record with 70.

Florida 12, Atlanta 2--Cliff Floyd hit a grand slam and Kevin Millar had three RBIs as the Marlins defeated the Braves at Atlanta for their season-high fifth consecutive victory.

Florida, winning for the 10th time in 13 games, moved into a second-place tie with Atlanta in the NL East--3 1/2 games behind first-place Philadelphia.

The Braves, after going 18-7 from May 15-June 12, have lost five of six.

Chuck Smith (4-2) gave up two runs and seven hits in seven innings.

Pittsburgh 8, Philadelphia 5--Jason Kendall, refusing to sit out even after getting a pain-killing shot in his injured thumb, had three hits and drove in three runs as the Pirates had a season-high 17 hits against slumping Phillies at Pittsburgh.

Derek Bell added a two-run homer as the Pirates, who have the NL’s worst record at 24-43, won their fourth consecutive and dealt the first-place Phillies their eighth loss in 11 games.

Pirate starter Joe Beimel (3-2), winless in his previous nine starts, got the victory despite giving up four runs in five innings.

St. Louis 3, Chicago 2--Fernando Vina’s bunt single against Kyle Farnsworth (0-2) snapped a seventh-inning tie as the Cardinals defeated the Cubs for the 13th consecutive time at St. Louis.

Matt Morris (9-4) gave up an unearned run in seven innings and singled in the seventh for the Cardinals, who haven’t lost to the Cubs at Busch Stadium since Oct. 2, 1999.

St. Louis has won eight in a row at home overall and has a five-game overall winning streak, and narrowed the Cubs’ NL Central lead to four games.

Houston 6, Colorado 4--Rookie Roy Oswalt pitched 6 2/3 strong innings before leaving with a bruised right forearm, leading the Astros at Houston.

Oswalt (5-1) gave up three runs and three hits, striking out eight. He left in the seventh after being hit by Ben Petrick’s line drive. X-rays were negative.

Billy Wagner, activated from the disabled list earlier in the day, pitched the ninth for his 14th save in 15 chances.

Milwaukee 10, Cincinnati 8--Jeromy Burnitz’s three-run homer started a barrage off Red newcomer Jose Acevedo, and the Brewers deepened Cincinnati’s home misery.

Ken Griffey Jr. hit his first home run of an injury-marred season, a solo shot for the Reds in the sixth inning. The Reds have the majors’ worst home record at 7-26 and have lost eight in a row overall, their longest slump in three years.

Jose Hernandez and Richie Sexson also homered off Acevedo, a right-hander fresh from double A who made a nightmarish debut.

New York 4, Montreal 1--Troy Mattes pitched seven scoreless innings in his major league debut before the Mets rallied for four runs in the eighth against the Expo bullpen at New York.

Mattes, called up from triple-A Ottawa earlier in the day, retired the first 14 batters, and left with a 1-0 lead after giving up only two hits.

But relievers Guillermo Mota (1-1), Graeme Lloyd and Ugueth Urbina--hurt by three errors in the eighth--allowed the Mets to come back for their third consecutive victory.