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SAN FRANCISCO - Barry Bonds hit his 651st home run leading off the 10th inning as the Giants snapped their longest losing streak in three years with a 5-4 victory over the Braves on Tuesday night.
In his first game back since taking off the weekend series in Montreal to be with his ailing father, Bobby, Bonds hit his major league-leading 38th homer on a 2-1 pitch from Ray King, giving the Giants their first win in seven games.
Bonds raised both arms in celebration and pumped his fist as he started his slow trot and watched his drive sail over the concourse in right and into McCovey Cove.
It was his eighth career winning home run.
Jose Cruz also homered for the Giants, and Tim Worrell pitched two innings for the win.
Pinch runner Todd Linden scored on a wild pitch from Trey Hodges with two outs in the eighth to tie it at 4.
Bonds, who received a standing ovation from the crowd of 42,307 in his first at bat, went 1-for-3 with two walks in his return to the Giants. Bobby Bonds has lung cancer and other ailments.
"It was important for me to be there with my dad," Bonds said before the game. "It's also important for me to be here too."
Bonds said his father might come to Pacific Bell Park today.Javy Lopez, Gary Sheffield and Marcus Giles all homered for the Braves, who lost for the second time in seven games.
Russ Ortiz, who spent five years with the Giants, allowed three runs on six hits over seven innings.
ASTROS 12, CUBS 8: Jeff Kent homered and drove in six for host Houston.
The Astros remained a game ahead of St. Louis in the Central. Chicago dropped into third, 11/2 games back.
Neither starter lasted into the fifth. Jeriome Robertson allowed five runs on five hits in three innings, and Chicago's Matt Clement pitched four innings, giving up eight runs on eight hits. Clement struck out three and walked four.
With the score tied at 5 in the fourth, Kent followed walks to Lance Berkman and Jeff Bagwell with a three-run homer, his 18th.
Houston increased its lead to 12-5 in the sixth on a two-run double by Kent and run-scoring singles by Richard Hidalgo and Adam Everett.
The Cubs made it 12-8 in the seventh on Alex Gonzalez's two-run homer, his 17th, and a run-scoring single by Randall Simon.
BREWERS 4, PHILLIES 2: Pinch-hitter Mark Smith hit a tiebreaking three-run home run in the eighth inning after reliever Mike DeJean worked out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the top half to lead host Milwaukee.
Jim Thome hit his 34th homer for Philadelphia, which had its five-game winning streak snapped.
With the score tied at 3, Richie Sexson singled off reliever Turk Wendell to open the eighth. Brady Clark sacrificed him over and Keith Ginter was intentionally walked to set up a possible double play.
Smith, 0-for-4 as a pinch-hitter this season, then hit his first homer and gave Milwaukee a 6-3 lead.
ROCKIES 10, MARLINS 2: Jay Payton had four hits and three RBIs, Denny Stark pitched seven solid innings and host Colorado stopped Florida's three-game winning streak and its five-game losing streak.
The Marlins, who have won five of their past seven, remained a half-game behind Philadelphia in the wild-card race.
CARDINALS 13, PIRATES 5: Scott Rolen hit a go-ahead, three-run double and a two-run single in a 10-run eighth, driving in six to lead St. Louis.
Craig Wilson hit a three-run homer and Jeff Reboulet and Jack Wilson also homered for the Pirates, who lost three of four to the Cardinals in Pittsburgh last week.
D'BACKS 6, REDS 1: Junior Spivey, Shea Hillenbrand and Robby Hammock homered and Brandon Webb struck out a career-high 11 in seven strong innings for host Arizona.
The Diamondbacks' second win in six games moved them within 31/2 of Philadelphia in the wild-card race.
EXPOS 7, DODGERS 5: Wil Cordero, batting for the ejected Vladimir Guerrero, drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a double in the eighth as visiting Montreal won its sixth straight. Guerrero, the Expos rightfielder, was ejected for arguing with first-base umpire Steve Rippley about Shawn Green's disputed homer, which put Los Angeles up 5-4 in the seventh.
PADRES 3, METS 2: Phil Nevin hit a two-run homer with one out in the eighth as host San Diego snapped a five-game losing streak.