by Scott Fennessy
The Cubs continue their homestand after sending the Cardinals packing and now face the much improved Pirates, who now find themselves 8 ½ games back in the standings. Several lineup changes and personnel returning from injuries have been the catalyst. That and Honus Wagner FINALLY starting to hit like Honus Wagner. This promises to be a good game as Charles Phillippe facing Ed Reulbach.
The Cubs get a taste of their own medicine today as the Pirates get on top early as Ginger Beaumont takes Reulbach’s first pitch into center field for a single. Moving to second on Tom Leach’s grounder and who else? Honus Wagner delivers a solid single just over Art Hofman’s head at short, Slagle’s throw is cut by Hofman to hold the speedy Wagner at first. This draws several pick off attempts but Wagner’s off with the 3rd pitch and Kling’s throw is a good one, this may be close, and…… safe! He beats Tinker’s tag. Still at second with two out Dave Brain draws a walk and Claude Ritchey hits one that starts to get through the gap, but Frank Schulte is over, and makes a great throw, but Wagner scores, and runners are on the corners, and now Ritchey steals second too. Reulbach finally gets out of a very long first inning allowing just two runs, but the buccos should have scored more.
The Cubs do get a 1 out single by the hot hitting Jimmy Slagle, but nothing else happens.
Both pitchers as expected are pitching beautifully almost nobody reaches for the Pirates through the 6th inning, and after Kling reached on an error by Otis Clymer who was giving Bill Clancey a day off Phillippe retires the next 14 hitters in a row before Slagle rips a double over Clarke’s head with two out in the 6th. Slagle catches Heinie Pietz napping behind the plate and gets a great jump towards third and easily beats the throw with a steal of third. Schulte then slaps one the opposite way for an RBI single, but the Deacon stops the rally and the score is 2-1 Pirates.
Neither team does anything in the 7th and it’s getting late. Beaumont hits a tough play at Tinker who cannot get a handle on the ball and drops it during the transfer from glove to hand. Beaumont reaches and that’s not good as he has been the most difficult hitter of the Pirates three headed offense. Reulbach keeps him close enough to not steal, and with two out it looks like they may get out of this yet, but Fred Clarke draws a hard fought walk and Brain, who had been struggling earlier this year gets a very hittable fastball, and it goes to the wall in center. Billy Maloney chases it down, but it is way too late as Beaumont and Clarke score and Brain is in with a stand up triple.
Big Ed gets out of the inning, but now it’s 4-1 Pirates against a great pitcher in Phillippe. And that is unfortunately how the game ended as Jim Casey does get a hit but Phillippe strikes out 3 of the final six on the way to his 11th win of the season.
Either pitcher should have been able to win, but the Pirates did more with the limited opportunities they were given. Beaumont is now hitting .314 for the year and takes the team lead from Clarke who is hitting .306. Wagner is now at a very un-Wagnerish .264, but it is easily 175 points over his numbers a month ago.
For Reulbach it is just his 3rd loss of the year and the second time he pitched good enough to win and not get it. Slagle now is at a 4 game hit streak as is Casey. Schulte is at 3 games. The Cubs 2 team steals are the lowest total in over a month.
Earlier today the Giants crush the Phillies 11-1 in Philadelphia. Mike Donlin has awoke from his mini slump and is now the most feared hitter in the NL again. He went 4 for 5 with a double and his third home run of the year. He is now hitting .367. Christy Mathewson cruised to his 17th win with 8 strikeouts. The Giants are really starting to pull away at this point, and it is time for manager Chance to make some moves soon. Thankfully Johnny Evers will be back in a couple of days and the lineup should be much stronger as Slagle has played his way into the lineup despite having a much lesser card than Hofman.
Giants 47 14 .770
Cubs 41 17 .707
![[photo credit]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Deacon_Phillippe_(baseball_card).jpg){kind=link}
Wagner is hitting .264. ouch.
I have had several big names struggle all year. Napoleon Lajoie is hurting too. Some big names have improved, but I won’t spoil the upcoming season at this point.
That said, because there are so many A pitchers, hitting has been very suppressed, especially in the American League, which may not have even one 300 hitter, although “Wahoo” Sam Crawford is doing his best to reach the mark.