Cubs Celebrate a Little Bit Too Early

Mel Rojas thought he had struck out Jason Kendall for his first save this season, and catcher Tyler Houston pumped his fist and stepped toward the mound to congratulate him.

Oops. They play for the Cubs.

Kendall checked his swing in time and doubled on the next pitch, setting up the game-winning run in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 4-3 victory Thursday night.

Kendall scored from second on a throwing error by shortstop Rey Sanchez as Rojas blew a save in his his first chance for Chicago.

“They make the call,” Rojas said of plate umpire Bruce Froemming and first-base umpire Steve Rippley. “When they took so long to ask over there, I didn’t think I had a chance.”

“I knew I had checked it,” Kendall said. “It’s a judgment call and luckily, it went the right way for us.”

Luck has not been on the Cubs’ side this season. Now 2-17, the worst record in the majors, the Cubs are 0-7 at Wrigley Field and have lost nine consecutive home games dating to last season.

“We’ve had a lot of tough ones in the 19 games,” Cub Manager Jim Riggleman said. “It doesn’t get much tougher than that.”

Steve Trachsel took a no-hitter into the seventh, but Chicago didn’t go ahead until Doug Glanville’s two-run double in the bottom of the inning.

Rojas (0-1), who signed a $13.75-million, three-year contract as a free agent, entered with a 3-2 lead in the ninth. Al Martin singled leading off, advanced on a passed ball by Tyler Houston and took third on Kevin Elster’s flyout.

Kendall’s double tied the score, and Jose Guillen singled to Sanchez, whose threw the ball past first for the Cubs’ major league-leading 27th error.

“The Cubs are going bad, but everybody’s going to go through tough times,” Kendall said.

Rich Loiselle (1-0) pitched two innings for the win. He intentionally walked Sammy Sosa to give Chicago two on with two outs in the ninth, then struck out Glanville.

Trachsel wound up giving up three hits in seven innings with five strikeouts.

Pittsburgh went ahead in a weird first. Jermaine Allensworth reached on a wild pitch with one out after swinging at strike three. He stole second, then advanced on an error by Trachsel when the pitcher failed to touch first handling Martin’s grounder. Allensworth scored when Martin was caught in a rundown between first and second.

Shawon Dunston doubled with one out in the second and scored on Kevin Orie’s single.

Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead in the seventh when Mark Johnson doubled, advanced on Elster’s single and scored on Kendall’s sacrifice fly.

Jeff Granger relieved starter Francisco Cordova with two outs in the bottom half and walked Mark Grace. Marc Wilkins walked Sosa and Glanville doubled to left-center.