Pittsburgh @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 4, 2011 ) Chi. Cubs 7, Pittsburgh 6
THE STORY: The Pittsburgh Pirates were contending for first place in the National League Central near the end of July but have since careened off the tracks. One of the teams responsible for the fall was the Chicago Cubs, who will host Pittsburgh on Friday in the opener of a three-game series. The Cubs went into PNC Park on Aug. 1 and swept four games from the Pirates. That ignited an 0-7 homestand – the worst in the franchise’s 125-year history – and was part of a 10-game losing streak that derailed any division title hopes. Now Pittsburgh is trying to fight off Chicago for fourth place in the Central.
TV: 2:20 p.m. ET, ROOT (Pittsburgh), WGN (Chicago).
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates LH Brian Burres (0-0) vs. Cubs RH Ryan Dempster (10-10, 4.76 ERA).
Journeyman Burres will make his first start of the season for Pittsburgh. That's normally a recipe for defeat, but the Pirates were held to one run in eight innings by another journeyman southpaw (Dana Eveland) making his season debut on Thursday. Burres is 1-0 in four appearances - two starts - versus the Cubs, but he has allowed a .308 batting average.
Dempster has lost back-to-back starts while surrendering four homers. His ERA is nearly 2 1/2 runs lower at Wrigley Field than on the road. He has allowed a total of six runs in his last three home starts. Surprisingly, he has had trouble against Pittsburgh in his career, going 8-11 in 48 appearances. Neil Walker is 7-for-12 with a homer and five RBIs against him.
ABOUT THE CUBS (59-78): Chicago has managed only three wins in its last 11 games, although it nearly pulled off a three-game sweep at reigning World Series champion San Francisco. Sparked by the sweep of Pittsburgh, the Cubs posted their first winning month of the year in August (16-13). Starlin Castro has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games and Rafael Soriano has homered in four of his last eight to tie Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena for the team lead with 24. Ramirez also leads the team in batting average (.305) and RBIs (83).
ABOUT THE PIRATES (62-75): Pittsburgh did little offensively in Thursday’s loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers until Alex Presley clubbed a two-run homer in the ninth. It was the rookie’s second career homer and first since his season debut on June 28. The Pirates were forced to come home in the midst of a 10-game road trip to make up the game. They have lost 26 of their last 34 games. Ryan Doumit had three hits and rookie Chase d’Arnaud added a pair for Pittsburgh, which managed just six runs in getting swept at Houston, owners of baseball’s worst record.
FINAL PITCH: Thursday marked the 40th anniversary of a game (Sept. 1, 1971) in which the Pirates fielded an all-minority lineup. It was the first time that had occurred in major league history. Pittsburgh went on to win the World Series that year.