CHICAGO -- John Smiley didn't expect many runs. As it turned out, he didn't need them.

Smiley gave up four hits and one run in eight innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-1, yesterday. Last vTC year, in Smiley's 10 losses the Pirates managed only 1.6 runs a game.

Andy Van Slyke scored two of Pittsburgh's runs and Bobby Bonilla and Jay Bell each singled home a run off loser Shawn Boskie. Van Slyke was hit by a pitch in the fourth and came around on a single by Bonilla and a pair of infield outs.

Then a strange thing happened in the sixth. Van Slyke hit a fly that seemed to be hooking foul but suddenly the ball straightened out and dropped fair for a triple. Van Slyke hesitated after hitting the ball and right fielder Andre Dawson also hesitated thinking it would go foul.