Bonds Nearly Gets Milestone in Giants’ Win

Barry Bonds barely missed his 700th homer.

Bonds sent the first pitch he saw to the right-field warning track Wednesday night, then didn’t come close again in San Francisco’s 8-1 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers.

“He missed his one shot today,” Giant Manager Felipe Alou said.

Brett Tomko pitched a four-hitter for the Giants, who remained a half-game ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the National League wild-card race.

Bonds was 0 for 4 and is now 0 for 6 with three walks since hitting his 699th homer Sunday in Arizona. He is expected to start today in the series finale at Miller Park before the Giants return to SBC Park for a nine-game homestand beginning Friday night, Alou said.

Although Bonds didn’t go deep, J.T. Snow connected following yet another walk to the San Francisco slugger, then had a two-run double in the ninth. Deivi Cruz also homered to back Tomko (10-6), who won his fifth in a row.

In Bonds’ first at-bat, he sent right-hander Wes Obermueller’s first pitch, a letter-high, 92-mph fastball, to the warning track in right, where Brady Clark caught it a few feet in front of the wall.

Arizona 3, Colorado 2 -- Randy Johnson broke Steve Carlton’s major league record for strikeouts by a left-hander, fanning 11 to lead the Diamondbacks at Phoenix.

Johnson pitched eight strong innings and finished the night with 4,139 strikeouts, passing Carlton (4,136) for third overall on the career list behind only Nolan Ryan (5,714) and Roger Clemens (4,287).

Johnson struck out Vinny Castilla in the seventh for No. 4,137. Play was interrupted momentarily while the scoreboard flashed the statistics and the crowd cheered.

Luis Terrero hit a leadoff homer, and Shea Hillenbrand drove in a run for the Diamondbacks, who have won two in a row after losing 10 of 11.

Chicago 13, Pittsburgh 5 -- Sammy Sosa hit his first grand slam in more than two years to lead the Cubs at Chicago.

Sosa also had a solo shot as the Cubs hit three consecutive home runs in the first inning. Derrek Lee, Sosa and Michael Barrett connected in succession.

Lee’s homer was his 30th of the season, giving the Cubs four players -- Lee, Sosa, Moises Alou and Aramis Ramirez -- with 30 homers or more. They are the 10th major league team to accomplish the feat, and the first since Toronto and the Angels did it in 2000.

St. Louis 4, Houston 2 -- Jim Edmonds’ sacrifice fly broke an eighth-inning tie at St. Louis, and Matt Morris bounced back from one of his worst starts of the season, bringing the Cardinals one step closer to the NL Central championship.

Edmonds also hit his 42nd homer, matching his career best set in 2000. The Cardinals have won only three of eight, but reduced their magic number for clinching the division to four.

Atlanta 2, New York 0 -- Lame-duck Manager Art Howe and the listless Mets lost for the 21st time in 25 games, with John Thomson pitching the Braves to the victory at New York.

Atlanta cut its magic number to 10 for clinching its 13th division title in a row. The Braves won despite getting only four hits, including Marcus Giles’ two doubles and a single.

Philadelphia 9, Cincinnati 1 -- Brett Myers pitched six solid innings and drove in the go-ahead run, helping the Phillies salvage the finale of a three-game series at Cincinnati.