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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
MONTREAL (AP) -- The San Francisco Giants were in the right place
to win their third straight game.
Barry Bonds hit his 35th homer and Mark Gardner pitched seven
strong innings to lead San Francisco to a 4-1 win over the
struggling Montreal Expos on Wednesday night.
|  | | With the win Wednesday, Jeff Kent and the Giants stay one game ahead of the D-Backs in the NL West race. |
The win allowed the NL West-leading Giants to remain one game
ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who beat Philadelphia 5-1
earlier in the day.
"It's great to win because everybody was a little low on
energy, a little low on excitement," San Francisco manager Dusty
Baker said.
Montreal is 0-6 on its current homestand. The Expos have won
just once in their last 12 home games.
"I'm a realistic person," Montreal manager Felipe Alou said.
"You have to expect it, it's logical. I'm not a dreamer, I never
will be, I never was one. That's the reality, we're younger and
some of those clubs are very good and they have some big goals to
accomplish. And they are accomplishing them."
Bonds hit his 27th career homer at Olympic Stadium with two outs
in the fifth off Dustin Hermanson (8-11). Bonds passed Hall of
Famer Mike Schmidt for the most home runs by a visiting player
since the Expos began playing in the stadium in 1977.
"I don't worry about those things," Bonds said. "I don't
think about that stuff."
Gardner (8-6) scattered six hits and didn't allow a walk. He
struck out four. Geoff Blum's two-out homer in the seventh
accounted for Montreal's only run.
"They're very aggressive early in the count," Gardner said.
"You have to make your pitches early, conserve pitches, and
definitely not walk anybody."
Robb Nen pitched the ninth for his 30th save in 35 chances.
"I was glad for him, because he got his 30th save." Baker
said. "That's five years in a row for him."
Bill Mueller hit a one-out double in the first and Bonds drew
his first of three walks. Both runners advanced on catcher Michael
Barrett's passed ball and Mueller scored on Jeff Kent's bloop
single to center.
The Giants went ahead 2-0 on J.T. Snow's sacrifice fly to left.
Bonds' homer made it 3-0 in the fifth.
Blum, who hit his eighth homer, was the only Expo to reach third
in the game.
Rich Aurilia's RBI single in the eighth drove in the Giants'
fourth run and chased Hermanson.
"It hasn't been a fun homestand for quite a while," he said.
"We're not having too much fun, to be honest with you. Losing will
never be fun."
Hermanson, 0-4 in his last five starts, allowed four runs and
seven hits in 7 2-3 innings. He is 3-8 in 14 starts since rejoining
the starting rotation on June 5 after a brief stint as the team's
closer.
Notes: Schmidt hit a total of 32 homers in Montreal, six at Jarry
Park. ... John Johnstone allowed one run and two hits in one inning
Tuesday night in his first rehab appearance for Class-A San Jose.
He threw 14 of 20 pitches for strikes, striking out two. ... Lee
Stevens signed a two-year contract extension with the Expos before
the game. Stevens was eligible to become a free agent following the
season. ... Hermanson has allowed 20 homers this season, the most
by an Expos pitcher this season, one more than Javier Vazquez.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
San Francisco Clubhouse
Montreal Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 8
Anaheim 6
Boston 4
Tampa Bay 3
Texas 5
NY Yankees 0
Chi. White Sox 7
Baltimore 3
Kansas City 9
Minnesota 3
Detroit 12
Seattle 8
Oakland 7
Cleveland 6
Arizona 5
Philadelphia 1
Atlanta 4
San Diego 1
St. Louis 5
Chicago Cubs 1
Los Angeles 10
Florida 4
San Francisco 4
Montreal 1
Colorado 7
NY Mets 5
Houston 11
Pittsburgh 10
Milwaukee 5
Cincinnati 1
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