Pittsburgh @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 30, 2010 ) Pittsburgh 2, Chi. Cubs 14
The Chicago Cubs don’t have a lot to play for right now, but they’re making the most of their time with interim manager Mike Quade as they get set to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.
Chicago (56-76) cruised to a 14-2 triumph over the Pirates on Monday to win Quade’s Wrigley Field debut as the team's manager.
Carlos Zambrano had another solid start since rejoining the rotation, allowing just one run over 5 1/3 innings while striking out seven batters. He also hit his first home run of the year to chip in to the offensive onslaught.
Six different Cubs had three hits to help Quade improve to 5-2 since taking over from Lou Piniella. Rookie shortstop Starlin Castro continues to impress in his first season in the bigs. With three more hits on Monday, he is now batting .313 on the year – good for fifth best in the National League.
Pittsburgh (43-88) managed only six hits all night and left nine runners stranded on base.
Chicago sends ace Ryan Dempster (12-8, 3.42 ERA) up against the struggling Jeff Karstens (2-10, 4.98 ERA) on Tuesday.
Dempster, who is looking for the 100th win of his career, has gone 4-0 with a 1.31 ERA in five starts this month. The veteran right-hander just blanked the Washington Nationals over seven innings in his last trip to the mound. He allowed two hits while striking out eight in a 4-0 win.
Dempster has pitched through the sixth inning in all five of his starts this month.
Karstens hasn’t been nearly as fortunate. The 27-year-old hasn’t won a game since June 19 and is 0-8 with a 5.40 ERA in his last 10 outings.
Pittsburgh decided to skip his start in the rotation last time around as he went through the stretch of arm fatigue that many MLB pitchers experience this time of year. He was hammered for seven earned runs over 3 1/3 innings against the New York Mets in his last outing, but is 2-1 with a 2.12 ERA in three career starts at Wrigley Field.
The Pirates came into this series having taken nine of their last 12 games against Chicago, although, with Monday’s loss, Pittsburgh has now lost 14 consecutive road games.
Pittsburgh is hitting a league-worst .239 overall this year and is only batting at a .230 clip on the road. Meanwhile, the team’s season ERA stands at 5.17 heading into Tuesday’s game, but is even worse at 5.88 on the road.