Pittsburgh @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 30, 2010 ) Pittsburgh 2, Chi. Cubs 0
The Chicago Cubs return to Wrigley Field for the first time since Lou Piniella’s retirement for a date with the league-worst Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.
Chicago dropped two of three against the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds over the weekend, but had a good road trip overall, going 4-2 since Piniella called it a career. The Cubs can now settle into their routines for a while with a nine-game home stretch.
This could be a tricky series for Chicago. The Cubs (55-76) have lost 12 of their last 14 home games and have had problems with the Pirates all season.
Chicago is 3-9 against Pittsburgh this year and lost two of three games the last time the two clubs hooked up at the end of June. The Cubs have managed more than four runs against Pittsburgh just twice this year and may have their hands full with Monday’s starter Paul Maholm (7-12, 4.82 ERA), even though he has been struggling lately.
Pittsbugh’s lefty has just one win over his last seven starts and has allowed a home run in four straight outings. However, Maholm is coming off a good start in which he allowed only two runs over 6 2/3 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals. He received a no-decision after striking out four and walking one.
He has had Chicago’s number all season, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.25 ERA in three starts against the Cubs. Maholm has a 7-1 career record against Chicago as well.
The Cubs hand the ball to Carlos Zambrano (5-6, 4.64 ERA) to try to snap their funk against Pittsburgh (43-87). Zambrano has been great since rejoining the Cubs' starting rotation. He is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in those four starts and is coming off his best - and longest - outing of the year.
Zambrano paced the Cubs to a 5-4 victory over the Washington Nationals last week, giving up just one earned run over 7 1/3 innings while striking out eight batters. The big right-hander has had a tough year dealing with personal issues and spent three days in Venezuela with his 11-year-old nephew, who is critically ill.
This will be Zambrano’s first start against Pittsburgh this year, though he does have a 13.50 ERA against the Pirates in two relief outings. He is 11-6 lifetime against Pittsburgh with a 3.72 ERA.
The Pirates own the league’s worst team ERA and WHIP and sit second to last in runs per game (3.39) and batting average (.239).
Chicago, meanwhile, sits fifth in the league with 77 quality starts, but only averages 4.24 runs per game.