Chicago @ Pittsburgh preview
PNC Park
Last Meeting ( May 5, 2010 ) Chi. Cubs 2, Pittsburgh 4
The last time he took the mound, Brian Burres earned his first win since 2008. The Pittsburgh Pirates hope he doesn't have to wait nearly as long for his next one.
Burres will make his third start of the season tonight when the Pirates try for a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park and look to match a season-high three-game win streak.
The 29-year-old left-hander will be looking for more of what he showed in his last outing, when he allowed four hits and four walks but no runs in 5 1/3 innings, picking up the win in a 2-0 victory at Los Angeles last Thursday.
Before that, Burres had lost eight consecutive decisions, a streak that stretched all the way back to July 11, 2008, when he beat the Red Sox while pitching for Baltimore.
Pittsburgh's win Thursday also snapped a streak in which Burres' teams had lost the last 17 games in which he had pitched.
The Cubs have seen their share of streaks snapped in the series -- their three-game winning streak ended Tuesday along with Ryan Theriot's 13-game hitting streak and Alfonso Soriano's string of four consecutive games with home runs.
Chicago hopes to snap another one -- its string of back-to-back losses -- tonight with Randy Wells on the mound.
Wells has been consistent, going six innings or more in each of his five starts, but he is coming off a bit of a shaky outing Friday against Arizona. He allowed five runs on eight hits in six innings, though he did rack up a season-high eight strikeouts to pick up the win.
The 27-year-old right-hander has won both of his starts against the Pirates, allowing only three runs in 13 innings for a 2.08 ERA.
Pittsburgh's bullpen has been tremendous in the series, with Evan Meek, Joel Hanrahan and Octavio Dotel combining for six scoreless innings through the first two games. Each has thrown one scoreless frame in each game so far, with Dotel picking up a pair of saves.
The Pirates' outfielders have been swinging hot bats, too. Garrett Jones had two hits and two RBIs on Wednesday, Ryan Church has hit home runs in consecutive games and Andrew McCutchen had two hits and an RBI on Wednesday.
McCutchen returned to the lineup yesterday after sitting out Tuesday with a sprained right ankle.