Moreland HR Gives Cubs Win

Keith Moreland missed a bunt sign but saw Rick Reuschel’s fastball on the next pitch just fine.

After Moreland failed to bunt a 1-0 pitch from the Pittsburgh right-hander, he drove the next pitch into the left-field bleachers with Leon Durham on base and nobody out in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 3-2 victory over the Pirates on Monday.

Moreland’s homer, his 12th of the year, came after Durham had opened the ninth against Reuschel, 5-4, with a single.

“I hated missing that sign on a 1-0 pitch and I’m sure I’ll get fined because I know (Manager) Gene Michael does not like being disobeyed,” Moreland said.

“I passed on the sign to have Moreland move the runner (Durham) to second, and had Reuschel’s pitch been a strike, I probably would have become angry,” third base coach John Vukovich said.

Moreland’s homer made a winner of Jamie Moyer, 8-4, who pitched his first complete game since Aug. 16, and only the club’s third complete game of the season.

It was the Cubs’ first complete game since April 26 (52 games) when Steve Trout beat Montreal, 7-1.

Moyer walked four and struckout three while allowing eight hits including a two-run, two-out homer in the eighth inning to Andy Van Slyke which at the time, gave the Pirates a 2-1 edge.

“We all know the kind of pitcher Reuschel is, and on the second pitch, it was a sinker that was called a ball, and then I got the go ahead to swing at the next pitch, and I was able to drive it,” Moreland said.

Moreland now has nine home runs and 28 runs-batted in in his last 18 games.

“I played enough games with Moreland to know he’s a fastball hitter, but I did not want to walk him on the 2-0 pitch, and while I did not want to get the ball around the inner half of the plate, I did just that and paid for it,” Reuschel said.

“Reuschel is a great sinker ball pitcher, the best, and I was hoping with Moreland up, who is not a good runner, he’d hit the ball on the ground, but we all have to live with it,” Pirate Manager Jim Leyland said.

The Pirates trailed 1-0 with two out in the eighth when Diaz drew a walk and Van Slyke followed with a his ninth homer of the season, a shot into the center-field bleachers.

The Cubs scored their first run when Dave Martinez tripled with one out in the third inning and came home on Rafael Palmeiro’s sharp single to left.

Moyer, who worked out of jams in each of the second and third innings after the Pirates had put two runners on base after one out, was saved by Martinez in the fifth inning.

Barry Bonds drew a one-out walk, and after being trapped off first by Moyer, beat Durham’s throw to second for a stolen base.

After striking out Bobby Bonilla, Moyer also walked Johnny Ray. Diaz then hit a long drive to right-center, but Martinez made a fine running catch to end the inning.