Emil Yde got knocked out early and Cubs’ ace Pete Alexander held the Pirates in check as Chicago won at Forbes Field, 7-2. First baseman Charlie Grimm, traded to Chicago by the Bucs last fall, had four hits, including two triples.
Yde had trouble right from the start as a single, a passed ball and a single by utility player Bob Barrett gave the Cubs an unearned run in the first. Two more runs in the second ended Yde’s day. Grimm led off with a double and came around on a bunt and a sacrifice fly by Alexander. That was the second out, but it was followed by three straight singles, the last by Barrett. Vic Aldridge then replaced Yde.
Aldridge pitched the last seven and a third innings, but he couldn’t keep the Cubs off the board, either. They extended their lead to 5-0 in the top of the third. A double by Hack Miller, a triple by Grimm and a sacrifice fly accounted for the runs.
Chicago padded its lead with single runs in the fifth and sixth. Grimm drove in one and Barrett the other, both with singles. Like Grimm, Barrett finished with four hits.
The Pirates managed nine hits off Alexander, but he effectively scattered them. Single hits in the first and second did nothing. The Pirates got a run in the third when Max Carey doubled and scored on a single by Eddie Moore.
Two more singles, in the fourth and fifth, went for naught. In the sixth, Kiki Cuyler singled with two out and Al Niehaus doubled him home.
Alexander allowed only one more baserunner after the sixth and retired the last seven Pirates’ hitters. The win was the 317th of Alexander’s career.
Yde took the loss, dropping him to 0-3. Carey, Cuyler and Clyde Barnhart each had two hits.
