SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -Barry Bonds is beginning to close in on Hank Aaron – fast.
Bonds hit his 740th home run Sunday, connecting for the second consecutive game and helping Matt Cain earn his first win of the season in the San Francisco Giants’ 2-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Cain (1-1) pitched a three-hitter for his third career complete game and first since a one-hitter last May 21 at Oakland. He struck out four and walked four.
Bonds moved within 15 homers of Aaron’s record. With two outs in the fourth inning, he sent the first pitch from Yusmeiro Petit (0-1) into the seats in the right-field arcade for his sixth homer of the season.
The 42-year-old Bonds walked out to left field in the top of the fifth to a loud standing ovation, tipping his cap as he made his way to his spot. Fans bowed over the left-field fence.
Petit, called up from Triple-A Tucson before the game to make his second major league start, became the 438th pitcher to give up a homer to Bonds.
Bonds flied out and struck out looking in his other two at-bats, but his home run and Pedro Feliz’s shot leading off the third led the Giants to their season-best fifth straight victory.
Phillies 9, Reds 3
CINCINNATI (AP) – Phillies slugger Ryan Howard homered in his first game back from an injury to help Freddy Garcia earn his first National League victory.
Howard missed the last three games with a sprained ligament just below his left knee. The NL MVP hit his second homer of the season, a two-run shot in the ninth, and knocked in three runs.
Chase Utley had a pair of doubles and Wes Helms had three hits for Philadelphia, which has won three of four and back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Garcia (1-1), who was acquired from the White Sox for two players in December, went five innings in his second start since opening the season on the disabled list with tendinitis. He didn’t a walk batter and allowed four hits and two runs with three strikeouts.
Reds right-hander Matt Belisle (2-1) gave up eight hits and four runs in five innings.
Braves 9, Mets 6
NEW YORK (AP) – Kelly Johnson started the day with a home run against Tom Glavine and finished off the Mets with another homer off Aaron Heilman (1-2).
Johnson homered on the first pitch of the game, then hit a tiebreaking, three-run drive in the eighth inning for Atlanta.
A sellout crowd of 55,671 came out on a sunny spring afternoon to watch Glavine face John Smoltz, his golfing buddy and former teammate. Jose Reyes’ three-run triple in the sixth put the Mets ahead, but Edgar Renteria erased a 6-3 deficit in the seventh with a three-run homer off Scott Schoeneweis.
It was the first career multihomer game for Johnson, who struck out four times Saturday against Oliver Perez.
Ex-Met Tyler Yates (1-0) pitched a perfect seventh and Bob Wickman got three outs for his sixth save in six chances.
Smoltz allowed six runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings. Glavine went six for the Mets, giving up three runs and seven hits.
Brewers 4, Astros 3
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Dave Bush pitched into the ninth inning in another strong performance against Houston.
Bush (2-1) allowed three runs and five hits in eight-plus innings to improve to 3-0 in his career against the Astros. He struck out seven and walked one.
Bush came out for the ninth inning but couldn’t record an out, allowing Lance Berkman’s RBI double before he was replaced by Francisco Cordero. Morgan Ensberg hit a run-scoring single with one out, and Adam Everett walked with the bases loaded to get the Astros within one.
Cordero then retired two straight pinch hitters, striking out Orlando Palmeiro and getting Craig Biggio to foul out to pick up his seventh save in seven chances this season.
Roy Oswalt (3-1) failed in his bid to win his 10th straight decision, a streak that dated to Aug. 23, 2006. He gave up four runs and seven hits.
Marlins 12, Nationals 6
MIAMI (AP) – Dan Uggla homered twice and drove in six runs, and Miguel Cabrera hit a drive into the upper deck for Florida.
Wes Obermueller earned his first major league victory in almost two years and Josh Willingham also homered for the Marlins. Uggla had three hits.
Obermueller (1-0) allowed two runs and four hits in six-plus innings. He walked four and struck out five. Kevin Gregg pitched three innings to earn his first save.
Obermueller had not pitched in the majors since Sept. 17, 2005, with Milwaukee and his previous win came on May 17, 2005, at Washington.
Jerome Williams (0-4) gave up 10 runs, nine earned, and nine hits in six innings and Ryan Zimmerman hit his first career grand slam in the ninth inning for the Nationals.
Cardinals 12, Cubs 9, 10 innings
CHICAGO (AP) – Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning, Scott Rolen had a career-best five hits and St. Louis beat the Cubs after blowing a two-run lead in the ninth.
Preston Wilson singled to start the 10th against Ryan Dempster (0-1). One out later, David Eckstein singled off Aramis Ramirez’s glove at third. Pujols then a drove a long homer to center field, his fifth of the season.
The Cubs tied it in the ninth on Mark DeRosa’s two-out, two-run bloop single off closer Jason Isringhausen (1-0). It was Isringhausen’s first blown save in five chances.
Rolen’s two-run triple in the ninth gave the Cardinals a 9-7 lead. Rolen finished 5-for-6.
Ramirez’s three-run homer off St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright tied the score at 7 in the sixth.
Rockies 4, Padres 2
DENVER (AP) – Jason Hirsh outpitched Greg Maddux for the second time this season to lead the Rockies to the win.
Hirsh (2-1) went seven innings, giving up two runs and four hits and striking out seven.
He also beat Maddux and the Padres on April 6 in San Diego’s home opener. In that game, Hirsh went 6 2-3 innings and had a career-high eight strikeouts.
Maddux (1-2) left after pitching seven innings. Maddux, who has 334 career victories, allowed four runs, scattered seven hits and struck out four.
Brian Fuentes got three outs for his fourth save in as many chances.
Khalil Greene hit his fourth home run for the Padres.
Pirates 7, Dodgers 5
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Adam LaRoche homered and Pittsburgh snapped a four-game losing streak.
Chris Duffy had three hits, stole two bases and scored two runs, and Tom Gorzelanny allowed three runs in six innings for the Pirates. Pittsburgh avoided a three-game sweep a day after failing to capitalize on three wild pitches and a throwing error by the Dodgers in a 7-3, 10-inning loss Saturday.
NL West-leading Los Angeles lost a series finale for the first time this season and had its three-game winning streak end.
Gorzelanny (3-0) gave up five hits, struck out six and walked two. Salomon Torres pitched the ninth for his sixth save in eight chances.
Brett Tomko (0-1) gave up five runs and eight hits in six innings for the Dodgers.
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