Bonds, Brower Step Up for the Giants

Barry Bonds hit his 645th home run, fill-in starter Jim Brower pitched six scoreless innings and the San Francisco Giants won their seventh in a row, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-1, Wednesday night at Pacific Bell Park.

Bonds tied Willie McCovey’s San Francisco Giant career record with a two-run shot to right field against reliever Stephen Randolph in the sixth. It was Bonds’ 469th homer with the franchise, which moved to California from New York in 1958.

Bonds’ 32nd homer -- his second since the All-Star break -- was part of another impressive effort by the surging Giants, who increased their National League West lead over the Diamondbacks to a season-high 10 games. Arizona lost its fifth in a row.

Brower (7-2), a journeyman reliever plugging a hole in the Giants’ injury-plagued rotation, was dominant against a team that pounded him for six runs in 1 1/3 innings 10 days earlier.

Brower gave up four hits and didn’t walk a batter. He retired the first 11 hitters he faced and never allowed a runner to reach third base.

Miguel Batista (7-5) had another good start for Arizona, striking out five during five innings of three-hit ball. But the Diamondbacks made errors on the first two balls put in play in the first inning, leading to two unearned runs for the Giants on Marquis Grissom’s single and Jose Cruz Jr.’s groundout.

The Diamondbacks also made mistakes on the basepaths. Shea Hillenbrand got doubled off first base in the seventh inning when he sprinted to third base on Steve Finley’s one-out fly ball.

Florida 5, Atlanta 4 -- Mike Mordecai hit his first homer in nearly two years, a drive in the top of the 12th inning that lifted the Marlins after they had squandered a three-run lead in the ninth.

Mordecai, a former Brave who is batting .192, hit a 3-and-1 pitch from Trey Hodges (3-1) that barely cleared the left-field wall.

Mark Redman gave up four hits in 7 2/3 innings, but closer Braden Looper couldn’t hold a 4-1 lead in the ninth.

St. Louis 8, San Diego 4 -- Edgar Renteria had three hits and drove in two runs, and the Cardinals pounded out 17 hits at San Diego.

Tino Martinez and Kerry Robinson each had three hits, and every hitter in the Cardinal starting lineup had at least one hit.

San Diego’s Phil Nevin returned from the disabled list and had one hit in three at-bats. Nevin had surgery after dislocating a shoulder in spring training.

Montreal 5, New York 2 -- Javier Vazquez struck out 11 in eight innings and Ron Calloway hit a two-run single in a five-run first inning at Montreal.

Vazquez (8-6), who pitched his first complete game this season in Philadelphia on Friday, gave up five hits and two runs.

Montreal ended a four-game losing streak after building a 5-0 lead against Jae Weong Seo (5-7) with one out in the first.

Calloway’s two-run single followed Brian Schneider’s double.

Pittsburgh 6, Cincinnati 5 -- Newcomer Jose Hernandez hit a score-tying solo homer in the eighth inning at Cincinnati and Matt Stairs had another solo shot in the ninth.

Randall Simon also homered for the Pirates, who overcame an early three-run deficit and three days of roster-gutting trades.

Hernandez, acquired from the Cubs as part of a trade for Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez after Tuesday’s game, started at third base and struck out in his first two at-bats. He leads the National League with 123 strikeouts.

Stairs hit his 12th homer with one out in the ninth against Kent Mercker (0-2), who has given up three homers in his last two appearances.

Houston 3, Milwaukee 2 -- Lance Berkman homered in the top of the 11th inning to lead the Astros.

Berkman homered with two out against Dan Kolb (0-1) for his 20th home run. It’s Berkman’s fourth consecutive year with at least 20 homers.

Billy Wagner earned his 30th save in 33 chances, helping the Astros to their 12th victory in the last 14 games.

The Astros tied the score, 2-2, in the ninth against reliever Valerio De Los Santos.

Berkman led off with a double, moved to third on Brad Ausmus’ sacrifice and scored on Eric Bruntlett’s sacrifice fly.