Beck Saves 11th As S.F. Stays Hot

National League

Rod Beck picked up his major league-leading 11th save after Damon Berryhill broke a seventh-inning tie with an RBI single Sunday as the streaking San Francisco Giants defeated the Houston Astros 3-2.

Barry Bonds and Glenallen Hill homered for the Giants, who had their 12th win in 14 games and kept pace with Atlanta for the best record in the majors (16-5).

J.T. Snow led off the seventh with a single off Shane Reynolds and stole second base. Mark Lewis sacrificed him to third and Berryhill drove a 2-2 pitch to right field for the game-winner.

Osvaldo Fernandez (3-1) got the victory, going six innings and allowing six hits with three strikeouts and one walk. Beck pitched a perfect ninth for his 11th save in as many opportunities.

Reynolds (3-2) went seven innings and gave up five hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

The Giants jumped on Reynolds with back-to-back, first-inning home runs from Hill and Bonds. Hill hit the first pitch he saw over the fence in left-center for his third of the year; Bonds hit a 3-2 pitch off the right field scoreboard for a 2-0 lead. The homer was Bonds’ third of the season.

Mets 5, Expos 3 (10) Montreal

Rey Ordonez hit a two-run single in the 10th inning and New York stopped Montreal’s six-game winning streak.

The Mets spoiled the 1,000th relief appearance of Lee Smith’s career.

Todd Hundley hit a leadoff single against Smith (0-1) in the 10th and Alex Ochoa singled with one out. Manny Alexander’s infield hit loaded the bases and Ordonez, who earlier had an RBI single, hit a chopper past second baseman Mike Lansing.

Braves 2, Padres 0 (5) Atlanta

Greg Maddux allowed just one hit before the game was called in the bottom of the fifth because of rain.

Maddux (3-1) permitted only Ken Caminiti’s broken-bat single in the second inning. Caminiti was erased on a double play, and Maddux faced the minimum 15 batters in his 22nd career shutout.

San Diego lost its fifth in a row. Atlanta set a team record with its 17th win in April, and the Braves’ 17-5 record is the best in franchise history after 22 games. Atlanta has won 11 of 13 overall, and improved to 11-1 at Turner Field.

Marlins 4, Dodgers 3 Miami

Edgar Renteria singled home the winning run in the ninth inning as Florida completed a three-game sweep of Los Angeles.

With one out in the ninth, Cliff Floyd hit a one-hopper that went off Dodgers second baseman Nelson Liriano’s glove and into right field. Floyd hustled to second and was given a double on the play. Luis Castillo walked and Renteria followed with a ground single that just eluded Liriano’s reach. Right fielder Raul Mondesi’s throw was off line, allowing Floyd to score.

Pirates 7, Cubs 0 Chicago

Jason Schmidt held Chicago hitless until the sixth inning, and Kevin Elster and Jose Guillen homered.

Schmidt (1-1), whose start was pushed back two days because of the flu, did not give up a hit until Dave Hansen singled with one out in the sixth. On April 10, Hansen’s pinch-hit single with one out in the ninth broke up a no-hit bid by Florida’s Alex Fernandez.

Cardinals 6, Rockies 2 St. Louis

Donovan Osborne allowed one hit in seven innings to win for the first time this season as St. Louis stopped Colorado’s team-record eight-game road winning streak.

Delino DeShields, in a 2-for-27 slump, and Ray Lankford had two-run singles in a five-run second inning. Lankford is hitting .421 (8 for 19) since returning from the disabled list.

Colorado was just 28-53 on the road last season.

Phillies-Reds, ppd. Cincinnati

Rain forced postponement of a game between Philadelphia Cincinnati. The game was not immediately rescheduled. The Phillies return May 26-28.

Clearing the bases

San Diego first baseman Wally Joyner, who sprained his right ankle on a fifth-inning bunt play, was placed on the 15-day disabled list… . Expos shortstop Mark Grudzielanek went 1 for 5, extending his hitting streak to 13 games, four short of his career high of 17 games set last April 7-25… . Larry Walker is hitting .442 on the road… . Eric Young’s error snapped the Rockies’ errorless inning streak at 73-2/3 innings…. In 13 home games, San Francisco has hit only three home runs. But the Giants have 12 homers in eight road games.