Giants’ Bonds Doesn’t Miss a Beat

Considering what he’s been through lately, Barry Bonds decided it was time for the game to end.

Hours after being released from a hospital, Bonds hit a two-run, bases-loaded single in the ninth inning to lead the San Francisco Giants over the Arizona Diamondbacks, 2-0, Monday afternoon at Phoenix.

“Don’t leave it up to me,” he said. “I don’t like to play overtime.”

Bonds, scratched from the lineup minutes before the first pitch Sunday because of exhaustion, was released from an area hospital after staying overnight to have his vital signs monitored.

He argued at the time about the hospitalization but later said it was the right thing to do.

“I just had problems with my heart and chest,” Bonds said. “I couldn’t get around it. It was just safer for me to go there than to try to play.”

The game Sunday was the second Bonds sat out in the series with the Diamondbacks for reasons related to the death of his father, Bobby Bonds, a week ago. He left Saturday’s game in the eighth inning after earlier homering against Randy Johnson, because his heartbeat rose to more than twice normal, and he had trouble breathing.

He said he felt fine throughout the game Monday and didn’t have his vital signs monitored.

Bonds was hitless in three at-bats against Curt Schilling, but that wasn’t the case against Mike Myers, Arizona’s left-handed specialist.

The slugger lined a 1-and-0 pitch just to the left of the mound and into the outfield, scoring two of the three runners Myers inherited from Oscar Villarreal (7-6).

Sidney Ponson (3-3) and Schilling dueled for eight innings. Ponson gave up six hits and one walk and struck out three. Schilling gave up five hits, walked none and struck out 10.

Florida 5, Montreal 2 -- Ivan Rodriguez capped a seventh-inning rally at Miami with a go-ahead single, and the Marlins took sole possession of the lead in the NL wild-card race by completing their first four-game series sweep since May 1996.

The Marlins have won 11 of their last 12 against NL East teams, including seven in a row dating to July 25.

Chicago 7, St. Louis 0 -- Mark Prior (14-5) gave up five hits over eight innings at Chicago for his sixth consecutive victory in a game delayed 4 hours 17 minutes because of rain.

St. Louis dropped into a first-place tie in the NL Central with Houston. The third-place Cubs are 1 1/2 games behind the Cardinals and Astros.

New York 3, Atlanta 2 -- Timo Perez hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning, and the Mets beat the Braves for only the sixth time in 17 meetings this year.

Cincinnati 5, Milwaukee 4 -- Tim Hummel, Ryan Freel and Wily Mo Pena hit solo home runs for the Reds at Milwaukee.