Cubs halt Braves streak

Published 12:00 am Sunday, July 13, 2003

CHICAGO (AP) -- Sammy Sosa homered to start a six-run fourth and Matt Clement pitched eight strong innings as the Chicago Cubs ended Atlanta's eight-game winning streak, beating the Braves 7-3 Saturday.

Since returning June 18 from a seven-game suspension for using a corked bat, Sosa has a .344 average, 12 homers and 23 RBIs.

His high drive just dropped into the left-field basket at Wrigley Field, giving him 18 homers this season and seven hits in his last seven at-bats. He finished 2-for-4 after going 4-for-4 Friday with two homers.

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Clement (7-7) allowed three runs -- two earned -- and five hits, including Rafael Furcal's 13th homer in the third. He walked none and struck out seven.

Joe Borowski worked a scoreless ninth to finish it.

Atlanta rookie Horacio Ramirez (8-3) lasted just 3 2-3 innings.

Giants 8, Diamondbacks 1

PHOENIX (AP) -- Barry Bonds tied a major league record with his 12th consecutive 30-homer season and Jerome Williams allowed two hits through six innings Saturday in the San Francisco Giants' 8-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ray Durham greeted Curt Schilling with a home run on the second pitch of the game -- the first outing for Arizona's right-handed ace since he broke his right hand on May 30.

Bonds hit a mammoth 448-foot smash over the swimming pool in right-center with one out in the fourth, his major league-leading 30th home run of the season.

Schilling (4-4) gave up five runs, four earned, on six hits in six innings. He struck out five, walked two, hit Bonds with a pitch and was called for runner's interference.

Williams (5-1) allowed no earned runs, struck out seven and walked two.

Phillies 4, Mets 2, 11 innings

NEW YORK (AP) -- Placido Polanco's sacrifice fly scored Jason Michaels with the go-ahead run in the 11th inning Saturday, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 4-2.

Tyler Houston homered and Jim Thome hit an RBI double for the Phillies. They added another run in the 11th on an error by New York shortstop Jose Reyes.

Rookie Jeff Duncan homered for the Mets, who have dropped six in a row.

Michaels singled with one out in the 11th off John Franco, the fifth New York pitcher, and went to third on Marlon Byrd's single to left.

After Polanco's sacrifice fly, Franco (0-1) walked Thome. Bobby Abreu's grounder then went through Reyes' legs, allowing Byrd to score.

Jose Mesa (4-5) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory, escaping a two-on, one-out jam in the 10th.