Evening star., 1938-09-06
Series With Reds No,u Is Key to Senior Loop Title
PIRATES ON SPOT
AFTER TWIN LOSS
Surging Cincinnati Only Four
Games OFF Lead-Yanks
Mop Up With AS.
By BILL BONI.
Associated Press Sports Writer.

Associated Press Sports Writer.
The Pittsburgh Pirates, who STUN
bled around for weeks without suffer.
ing any damage beyond that to their
self-esteem, today awoke to the fact
that the law of averages, as we'll as
the Reds and Cubs, are catching up
with them.
Emerging from yesterdays holiday
festivities on the short end Of two
games with Chicago, the battered Buc-
cancers also discovered that their Ma
tional League lead had been cut by
two full games. For while the Cubs
were whipping them, 80 and 4-3. the
Reds were taking 43 and Al decisions
from the Cardinals combination of
circumstances which left Cincinnati
only four games of the pace in second
place and Chicago five games away
in third.
1t Is a situation which threatens to
become even more unpleasant for Pie
Traynors pennant-aspiring crew. For
one thing the Reds, getting their sec
ond wind coming down the home
stretch. have won eight Of their last
nine, while the Pirates have taken
only one out Of five.
Tough Schedule With Reds.
For another. the Pirates still have
those nine games to play with Gin
cinnati, two Of them this week. For
third, the Reds pitching staff should
be strengthened any day now tper-
haps today by the return Of Johnny
Wander Nicer, and for fourth, if
q fourth Is needed. that same staff
is getting along right nicely without
No-hit John.
Yesterday, for instance, Bill Nc
kechnie called on two of his question
marks, and the question marks prompt
ly turned into exclamation points.
It's true that Bill had to hustle in
Paul Derringer from the pull pen to
pull Jim Weaver out of a hole and
the opener out OF the fire. But big
Jim had allowed only four hits up to
that point and, as added relief to the
often-harassed McKechnie, Rookie Red
Barrett won his second start in as
many attempts in the nightcap. in
which he held the Cards to seven hits.
Even the breaks went against the
Pirates, except at the box Office. An
overflow crowd Of 42,545. largest of
the days total big-league attendance
OF 179.560, at Forbes Field saw the
Cubs score three unearned runs to
take the first game despite Ed Brandt S
five-hit pitching job. They then won
the second on a inning ground
rule double by Carl Reynolds and
Hank O'Deas single.
Four Other Clean Sweeps.
Four Of the other bargain bills also
resulted in clean sweeps In the Ma
tional League. Tot Pressnell was
charged with both defeats as the Bos-
ton Bees turned back the Brooklyn
Dodgers, 5-4 and 5-3.
In the American League the Yankees
beat the Athletics. So and 6-3; the
Red Sox walloped the Nationals, 14-4
and 8-6. and the Indians won their
sixth and seventh straight, over the
White Sox by scores of ga and AZ
The Yankee victories were the 14tr
Of the year for Spud Chandler and
Monte Pearson, while Lou Gehrig broke
his own major league record and tied
Babe Ruth's lifetime mark by topping
100 runs driven in for the 18th straigh,
year.
The Giants, after Cliff Melton had
pitched three-hit. 10 shutout in the
opener, got no better than an ever
break with the Phils. who took the
nightcap, 4-3. as AL Hollingsworth
struck out seven.
The Tigers and Browns also split. st
Louis winning the first, 80. on South.
paw Howard Mills four-hit pitching
and Detroit the six-inning nightcap
93, in which Eldon Auker got credit
for the victory before line drive b,
Beau Bell knocked him down. The
submarine baller had to be carried from
the field.