Chicago @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 1, 2011 ) Chi. Cubs 5, Pittsburgh 3

THE STORY: The slumping Pittsburgh Pirates look to stay within striking distance in the National League Central when they host the second of a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. The Pirates suffered their sixth loss in seven games Monday, 5-3 in the series opener despite a pair of home runs by Derrek Lee and fell 5 1/2 games behind first-place Milwaukee. Carlos Zambrano pitched six strong innings for the Cubs, who have won two straight.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, CS Chicago, ROOT (Pittsburgh)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Randy Wells (2-4, 6.16 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Kevin Correia (12-8, 4.24).

If he is not pitching against Houston, Wells is generally finding trouble. He followed up a July 23 win over the Astros by giving up four runs over six innings in a loss to Milwaukee - about par for the course for the big righthander since his return from the disabled list in late May. Wells has had mixed results against the Pirates, going 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in six career starts, but he lasted only four innings in a May 28 loss (five runs, five hits, three walks, seven strikeouts). Pittsburgh center fielder Andrew McCutchen is 7-for-13 (.571) against Wells. Correia, who remains close to a 20-win pace despite yielding four runs or more in six of his last 10 starts, is coming off of his best effort in nearly two months, a July 28 victory at Atlanta (6 1/3 innings, one run). Prior to that, Correia had given up 15 runs and 22 hits in 14 1/3 innings. Correia is 2-1 against the Cubs this year, taking a loss the last time he faced them (3 2/3 innings, nine hits, five runs on July 9). Second baseman Darwin Barney is 5-for-11 against him.

ABOUT THE CUBS (44-65): Chicago has stopped the bleeding after losing the first five games on their current 10-game road trip, but they remain well back of the pack in the NL Central thanks primarily to a pitching staff that ranks near the bottom of the major leagues in nearly every major statistical category. Closer Carlos Marmol, who lost his job briefly in mid-July after a pair of spectacular blown saves, has closed out each of the Cubs' last two wins to reclaim his job.

ABOUT THE PIRATES (54-53): Since pulling into a three-way tie for the division lead heading into the final week of July, the Pirates have gone cold, dropping the last three on a seven-game road trip before coming home and losing again Monday. Pittsburgh did get a lift Monday from new acquisition Lee, acquired in a weekend deal with Baltimore. The longtime Cub homered off former teammates Zambrano and Kerry Wood in his return to the National League. Another weekend pickup - left fielder Ryan Ludwick - was 0-for-3 in his Pirates debut.

FINAL PITCH: The Cubs drew five walks Monday but still rank last in the major leagues with 259 this season. Chicago pitchers, conversely, have allowed 410 free passes, the most of any team.