The Pirates’ seven-game winning streak came to an end in ignominious fashion in the first of a two-game series in Chicago. The Cubs knocked out Ray Kremer in the fifth inning and piled on six unearned runs against newcomer Tom Sheehan, leading to an 11-2 loss for the Bucs.
Cubs’ starter Sheriff Blake had little luck his last time out against the Pirates just four days ago, giving up ten runs in a 13-3 loss. This time it was different, as Blake allowed only four hits in nine innings. The only damage against him came in the top of the fifth, when Eddie Moore hit his first home run of the year. It came with Kremer on base via a walk. After the homer, Blake retired the last 13 Pirates to bat in the game.
Moore’s shot cut the Cubs’ lead at the time to 3-2. They got one in the third on three straight, two-out singled, the last one by third baseman Howard Freigau. Two more followed in the fourth, when Tommy Griffith and Gabby Harnett led off with doubles, and former Pirate Charlie Grimm singled to drive in Hartnett.
Kremer departed for Sheehan, who was acquired yesterday from the Reds, with two out in the fifth. He left after Grimm singled to drive in Freigau, who’d doubled.
Sheehan got through a scoreless sixth inning despite a couple walks. He gave up a run in the seventh when Hartnett tripled and scored on a fly by Grimm, the latter’s third RBI.
In the eighth, several Pirate errors let the floodgates open. Blake reached to start the inning when first baseman Boots Grantham booted his ground ball. After a single and a walk, a wild pitch and a fly ball scored two runs. After catcher Earl Smith dropped Mandy Brooks’ foul popup, Brooks singled. Another single and a home run by Hartnett made the score 10-2. Grimm then singled and scored after a double when Glenn Wright threw wildly to the plate. Along with an earlier error by Clyde Barnhart in left, that gave the Pirates four miscues in the inning.
Kremer took the loss to drop to 4-2. The Pirates are in third place, four and a half games out of first.
