CHICAGO, Illinois, 14 July 2003 — Sammy Sosa’s homer launched a six-run fourth inning as the Chicago Cubs ended the eight-game winning streak of the Atlanta Braves with a 7-3 victory on Saturday.
Sosa had two hits and drove in two runs as he continued his hot streak since returning from a suspension for using a corked bat. Since then the Cubs slugger is hitting .344 with 12 homers and 23 RBI, giving him 18 homers and 50 RBI this season.
Sosa now has 517 career homers, four behind Willie McCovey and Ted Williams for 12th spot on the all-time list. Mark Grudzielanek and Alex Gonzalez both had two hits and drove in a run each Jose Hernandez had two RBI for Chicago. Chicago’s Matt Clement (7-7), was sharp for eight innings, allowing three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks to pick up the win before Joe Borowski pitched a scoreless ninth to complete the six-hitter.
Giants 8 Diamondbacks 1
In Phoenix, Barry Bonds hit his major league leading 30th homer of the season as the San Francisco Giants routed Curt Schilling and the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-1. Bonds hit the 643rd homer of his career and drove in three runs while Ray Durham also homered for the Giants.
Phillies 4 Mets 2 (11 innings)
In New York, Placido Polanco’s RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the 11th inning was the game winner for the Philadelphia Phillies in their 4-2 victory over the Mets.Polanco and Todd Pratt both had three hits for the Phillies, while Tyler Houston homered and Jim Thome added two hits and one RBI.
Expos 7 Marlins 1
In Montreal, Jose Vidro hit a three-run home run in the first inning while Jamey Carroll and Wil Cordero each had a pair of hits and scored twice to lead the Expos to a 7-1 win over the Florida Marlins.Livan Hernandez (9-6) tossed the complete game, holding the Marlins to one run and three hits in nine innings.
Pirates 5 Astros 2
In Houston, Aramis Ramirez stroked a two-run homer in a four-run first inning that led the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-2 win over the Astros. Pirates’ catcher Jason Kendall extended his hitting streak to 17 games with two hits. Kip Wells (3-4) tossed 6 1/3 innings, giving up two runs and five hits.
Reds 5 Brewers 1
In Milwaukee, Ken Griffey Jr. extended his home run streak to five straight games with a solo shot in the ninth inning that capped a 5-1 victory for the Cincinnati Reds over the Brewers. Jimmy Haynes (2-9) snapped a four-game losing streak by keeping the Brewers to one run and four hits in seven innings.
Rockies 5 Dodgers 3
In Denver, Todd Helton and Preston Wilson hit solo homers to help the Rockies to a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jason Jennings (9-6) gave up two runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings before Justin Speier worked 1 1/3 innings for his fifth save.
Cardinals 9 Padres 7 (11 innings)
In St. Louis, Albert Pujols hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Cardinals a 9-7 win over the San Diego Padres.Pujols had three hits and drove in four runs while J.D. Drew and Eduardo Perez also homered and had three hits each for the Cardinals.
