In the opener of their five-game series in Boston, the Pirates couldn’t get on track against Braves’ starter Larry Benton. They had only six hits and lost, 4-3. With the Giants winning over St. Louis, the Bucs are now tied with New York for first place, although they’re percentage points ahead by virtue of having played four fewer games.
Pirates’ starter Johnny Morrison ran into some trouble starting in the bottom of the third inning. A roller toward third by Benton for a single led off the inning and Jimmy Welsh beat out a sacrifice attempt for another single. After a popup, shortstop Dave Bancroft tripled down the right field line to put Boston up, 2-0.
Morrison managed to strand Bancroft by getting a strikeout and a grounder, but another triple cost him in the fourth. That one came with one out off the bat of left fielder Gus Felix. Catcher Frank Gibson followed by blooping an RBI single to right.
Morrison got that run back himself in the top of the fifth. After a walk to George Grantham and a single by Johnny Gooch, Morrison singled to make the score 3-1. The Braves, though, quickly restored their three-run lead in the bottom of the inning. Second baseman Abie Hood, in just his third major league game, led off with his second double of the game, moved up on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a sacrifice fly.
The Bucs made it 4-2 in the top of the sixth. Clyde Barnhart reached with one out on a dropped fly ball, then scored on a triple by Pie Traynor. Glenn Wright and Gooch, though, both popped up to strand Traynor.
Morrison left for a pinch hitter in the seventh and Babe Adams threw two scoreless innings, but the Bucs couldn’t get the two runs they needed to tie. In fact, they got only one baserunner in the last three innings. That came when Traynor hit a drive to right-center and made it around for an inside-the-park home run. That was his fourth home run of the season. Morrison dropped to 8-7 with the loss.
