Chicago @ Pittsburgh preview
PNC Park
Last Meeting ( May 31, 2010 ) Chi. Cubs 1, Pittsburgh 2
Quite naturally, $146.9 million dollars can buy a lot of things. What it can’t buy, apparently, is a team that can consistently beat the woeful Pittsburgh Pirates.
The underachieving Chicago Cubs look to avoid a fifth straight loss in Pittsburgh on Tuesday in the second of a three-game set.
The Cubs, who have the third-highest payroll in baseball, have lost six of seven to the Pirates this season.
They have also lost four straight in Pittsburgh for the first time since 1996.
In Monday’s opener, pinch-hitter Bobby Crosby hit a go-ahead single in the eighth inning, as the Pirates snapped a five-game skid with a 2-1 victory.
The Cubs’ shockingly bad play against the Pirates is one reason they are six games behind the St. Louis Cardinals (30-22) and Cincinnati Reds (30-22) in the NL Central.
Most of the blame for Chicago's poor start can be placed on the offense, which went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position Monday. The Cubs have lost four of five, scoring just nine runs in that span.
One of the many culprits is two-time All-Star third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who is struggling to make an argument for earning the $16.7 million he’s making this season.
The former Pirate went 0-for-4 Monday and is hitting just .162 with four homers and 20 RBIs. He currently mired in a 7-for-44 slump.
Some of Ramirez’s struggles may be attributed to a thumb injury. Nevertheless, it’s clear the Cubs need him to catch fire fast.
The good news is he has had some success Pittsburgh’s scheduled starter Jeff Karstens (1-1, 4.78). Ramirez is 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs vs. the right-hander.
Overall, he is hitting .289 with 22 homers and 70 RBIs in 92 games against his former team.
Meanwhile, Karstens will make his first start since April 27. He allowed two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings against Milwaukee, but did not receive a decision.
The 27-year-old had been serving as a long reliever most of the season, but was forced into the rotation when the Pirates placed Charlie Morton on the disabled list.
He is 2-1 with a 5.06 ERA in four games – three starts- against the Cubs.
Karstens will be opposed by Ted Lilly (1-4, 3.63), who is coming off his finest outing of the season. The left-hander limited the Los Angeles Dodgers to three hits in seven innings, but didn’t receive a decision in a 1-0 loss Thursday.
Lilly has been hurt by the Cubs’ inconsistent offense. He is winless in his last six starts, despite a 3.21 ERA in that span.
Lilly was rocked for four runs and nine hits in six innings of a 4-2 loss to the Pirates on May 9. He is 4-3 with a 4.38 ERA in 14 games – 12 starts- vs. Pittsburgh.