San Francisco ? When Barry Bonds left after the third inning because of a hamstring injury Sunday, Milwaukee Brewers manager Davey Lopes started to relax.

“When you don’t have the best player in the world in the lineup, you have a different lineup,” said Lopes after the Brewers rallied past the San Francisco Giants 4-3 to stop a seven-game losing streak. “He makes you think things you don’t normally want to think.”

Instead of Bonds batting with two runners on in the eighth inning, Mike DeJean retired Marvin Benard and went on to pitch two innings for the save. With Bonds up, Lopes probably would have brought in a left-hander.

Bonds, who hit his 574th home run Saturday to move past Harmon Killebrew into sole possession of sixth place on the career list, walked leading off the third inning, advanced on an infield groundout and scored on Shawon Dunston’s single.

Bonds left at the end of the inning, and the Giants said he had a mild right hamstring strain, an injury he first sustained during the final week of spring training.

“I felt it stealing. It’s been like this since spring training,” Bonds said. “I don’t know about playing tomorrow.”

Giants trainer Stan Conte said the injury is likely to linger for several weeks, but Bonds has been able to keep it loose.

“I wouldn’t rule him out for tomorrow, but it will probably be tight,” Conte said.

Bonds’ injury came a week after shortstop Rich Aurilia left a game with a groin strain and a day after catcher Benito Santiago took a foul tip off his thumb.

“They’re dropping like flies,” San Francisco manager Dusty Baker said. “Just when we’re about to get Richie and Benito back, we lose Barry. He didn’t have a positive look on his face when he came out.”

Cubs 5, Pirates 1

Pittsburgh  Jon Lieber (2-0) waited out 3 hours, 53 minutes of rain delays to improve to 7-0 against his former club, allowing one runs and four hits in five innings. The game was called after 71¼2 innings.

Ron Villone (1-2) allowed four runs, six hits and four walks in three innings. The start was similar to his 6-2 loss to the Mets on opening day, when he

Alex Gonzalez hit a two-run single and Mark Bellhorn hit a two-run double. Joe Borowski got one out for his first save.

Marlins 7, Braves 0

Miami  A.J. Burnett pitched a four-hitter and third-string catcher Ramon Castro homered twice. Florida’s Mike Lowell went 3-for-5, his fifth consecutive multihit game, raising his average to .408.

Jason Marquis (1-2) gave up three home runs, including a 442-foot drive by Derrek Lee.

Mets 6, Expos 4

New York  Roberto Alomar, borrowing a bat from Mike Piazza, homered twice, drove in four runs and singled to set up Piazza’s go-ahead single in the sixth. New York won for the fourth time in five games. Steve Trachsel (1-2) got the victory despite another costly error by New York’s shaky infield.

Phillies 3, Reds 1

Philadelphia  Vicente Padilla (2-1) took a shutout into the ninth inning, allowing six hits and striking out a career-high 11 in his third major league start. Bobby Abreu had two RBIs, Todd Pratt matched a career high with fours hits .

Astros 5, Cardinals 4

St. Louis  Shane Reynolds (2-1) allowed two runs  one earned  and six hits in 51¼3 innings as Houston avoided getting swept and stopped a five-game St. Louis winning streak.

Lance Berkman, Daryle Ward, Geoff Blum and Adam Everett drove in a run apiece for the Astros.

D’backs 6, Rockies 3

Denver  Former Rockie Quinton McCracken had three hits and two RBIs, including his first home run in 206 at-bats since April 21, 1999.

Padres 1, Dodgers 0

San Diego  D’Angelo Jimenez hit a two-out RBI single in the seventh inning, and Brian Lawrence (2-0) outpitched Hideo Nomo (1-2). Lawrence, held the Dodgers to four hits in seven innings to lower his ERA to 1.66. He struck out two and walked one.