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  Thursday, Aug. 17 1:35pm ET
Bonds smacks HR No. 36
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

MONTREAL (AP) -- The San Francisco Giants recovered from a rough start to finish with a winning road trip.

Barry Bonds hit his 36th homer and Bobby Estalella hit a three-run homer to lead the Giants over Montreal 5-4 Thursday for a three-game sweep of the Expos.

Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds watches his 36th home run of the season leave the park as Expos catcher Michael Barrett looks on in the fifth inning Thursday.

Shawn Estes (12-3) won his seventh straight decision, allowing three runs and five hits in 7 1-3 inning with six strikeouts and three walks.

San Francisco has won four straight after losing the first three games of its road trip against the Mets. The Giants lead second-place Arizona by 1½ games in the NL West.

"We tried to finish our road trip strong and we needed the win," Estes said. "We need to stay above .500 on these road trips."

Montreal, which completed an 0-7 homestand, has lost 12 of its last 13 home games. "I think they are giving it their best," Expos manager Felipe Alou said. "It's not like a horse that you're going to whip and make it run harder, that's not the way it works here."

With the Expos trailing 5-1, Jose Vidro hit a three-run homer off Doug Henry with two outs in the eighth.

"He makes you choose which way to face him," Giants manager Dusty Baker said of the switch-hitter. "He's hitting .400 right-handed, so we tried to turn him around but it didn't work."

Geoff Blum, who went 3-for-4, doubled off Alan Embree leading off the ninth and advanced on Andy Tracy's groundout. Felix Rodriguez relieved and retired Michael Barrett on a groundout to second baseman Jeff Kent as Blum held at third. Rodriguez then struck out Terry Jones for his third save in seven chances.

"It's heartening to a point to know that we can rally and get some runs and get back in the game," Blum said. "But it would be that much more if we could get over the hump and beat some people."

Trey Moore (1-3) gave up all five runs and eight hits in 4 2-3 innings.

J.T. Snow's RBI single put San Francisco ahead in a four-run fourth that included Estalella's homer. Blum hit a run-scoring double in the bottom half, but Bonds homered for the second straight game to make it 5-1 in the fifth. The ball struck a speaker suspended above right field from the Olympic Stadium roof. With the bases loaded later in the inning, Expos reliever Julio Santana, struck out Estalella, ending the threat.

Game notes
Giants RF Marvin Benard bunted for singles in each of his first two at-bats. He tried again in the fifth and was thrown out by Moore. ... Bonds has 28 homers at Olympic Stadium, the most by an opposing player and two more than Mike Schmidt. Including six homers at Jarry Park, Schmidt hit a record 32 at Montreal. ... Expos LF Peter Bergeron left with a bruised left thumb and was taken to a hospital for X-rays, which were negative. ... Lenny Webster, who was taken out of the starting lineup just prior to the game, has a strained right elbow. X-rays were negative. ... The Expos' worst homestand was an 0-8 performance against Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco from May 27-June 4, 1969.
 


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