A big second inning, four errors and a lot of missed chances hurt the Pirates in the third of their four-game series in Brooklyn. A 9-5 loss left them in need of a win in the fourth game to earn a split of the series. The Pirates had 14 hits and four walks in the game, but stranded 13 runners.
The visitors got single runs in the first two innings off Robins’ starter Rube Ehrhardt. In the first, Clyde Barnhart singled in Kiki Cuyler, who’d reached on a force play and stolen second. Cuyler drew a bases-loaded walk in the second, but Eddie Moore grounded out to strand three.
Bucs’ starter Johnny Morrison quickly ran into trouble in the bottom of the second, giving up five runs before he recorded an out. After the first two batters reached, a double and two singles brought in the runs, with an error in center by Max Carey letting in the last one. That made it 5-3, Brooklyn.
The Robins added a pair of unearned runs in the fourth. With two out, Ehrhardt and Johnny Mitchell singled. Jimmy Johnston then popped up behind the plate, but catcher Earl Smith dropped the ball. That proved costly, as Johnston singled in one runner and the other scored when George Grantham threw wildly to the plate.
In the fifth, the Robins picked up an eighth run, this one off Bud Culloton, who’d replaced Morrison. Jack Fournier tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly.
The Pirates continued to put up single runs off Ehrhardt, but couldn’t do enough damage. Grantham singled in Barnhart, who’d doubled, in the fifth, but was left stranded on second. In the seventh, Pie Traynor doubled and scored on a single by Glenn Wright. In the eighth, Eddie Moore singled in Carey, who’d doubled.
The Robins got a final run in the bottom of the eighth off Don Songer, on a walk, a bunt and a single. The Pirates got two more runners in the ninth, but Ehrhardt finished the game out.
Morrison dropped to 4-3 with the loss. Carey went 4-for-4.
