Cubs Win 4th Straight, Beat Pirates

July 4, 1998 / 9:00 PM EDT / CBS/AP

He won't be going to Denver for the All-Star game, even though Mickey Morandini thinks he belongs. His performance the last 40 games all season for that matter shows that he does.

"I was disappointed, very disappointed, but there is nothing I can do about it. Just keep playing the way I've been playing," Morandini said Saturday when his 3-for-3 performance, including a game-tying homer, rallied the Chicago Cubs to a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Morandini has batted .367 (57-for-155) over his last 40 games, raising his season average to a .331 and placing him in the league's top 10.

His two-run homer in the seventh, his fifth of the season and one shy of his career high, tied Saturday's game. The Cubs then went ahead on Henry Rodriguez's two-run single following a sloppy fielding effort by the Pirates.

"Any homer I hit surprises me," said Morandini, one of the Cubs' major offseason acquisitions. "I've just tried to be consistent."

Jose Hernandez tripled to start the seventh before Morandini lifted his homer to right with the aid of a strong cross wind.

Sammy Sosa walked off Jason Schmidt (8-5) and Mark Grace greeted reliever Jason Christiansen with a single. When Jose Guillen's throw to second ticked off Tony Womack's glove, both runners advanced on the error. Rodriguez followed with a two-run single.

"Guillen needs to get the ball in right away," Pirates manager Gene Lamont said. "That was a game we could have won. Morandini is very steady, makes all the double plays he should. I've always considered him a good player."

Pittsburgh loaded the bases off Terry Adams in the eighth on a single, walk and error on Manny Alexander. Adams walked Guillen to force in a run and make it 5-4 before Terry Mulholland got Al Martin to hit into a double play.

Mark Pisciotta (1-2) got the victory with one inning of relief. Rod Beck pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.

The Pirates have lost nine of 12. Schmidt failed for the sixth straight start to get his ninth victory and hasn't won since June 1.

"I thought we had the game in the bag," Schmidt said. "I wanted to throw Morandini a change, but I left it up. It was a pop fly, but that's the thing about Wrigley Field. We have no stinking luck right now."

Jason Kendall's two-out triple in the sixth followed a double by Manny Martinez and broke a 1-1 tie off Jeremi Gonzalez.

Martin hit his eight homer in the seventh, off Pisciotta, to make it 3-1.

Kevin Young singled and after Guillen was hit by a pitch scored on Martin's single for a 1-0 lead in the second. Rodriguez then shut off the rally by grabbing Aramis Ramirez's short fly to left and firing home to catch Guillen as Tyler Houston held on after a collision at the plate

"It was shallow and the wind was blowing in so I had the advantage," Rodriguez said if his throw. "If you make a good throw, you should be able to get the guy out."

Kevin Orie doubled, moved to third on a sacrifice and scored on Morandini's two-out single to tie it at 1 in the third.

Notes: Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, a good friend of the Bulls' Dennis Rodman, led the seventh-inning stretch rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" while waving a cup of beer. ... Rodriguez has driven in 13 runs and is 17-for-40 in his last 11 games. ... Despite Tyler Houston's recent hitting surge, including two homers Friday, Cubs manager Jim Riggleman said Saturday he will continue to use Scott Servais as his catcher when Chicago faces left-handed pitching. ... The Pirates have been retired in order in the first inning four straight games and haven't scored an opening-inning run since June 26 (seven games). ... The Cubs have won five of six and Beck has saved each victory. He has four saves in as many days.