Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs
Posted on | August 3, 2006 | No Comments
The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs are arguably the worse two teams in Major League Baseball, yet the fans will still show up, out at Wrigley Field to watch the two teams battle in a three game series. The Cubs have been hot of late, sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals at home for the first time in 34 years, and winning two of three in a series against the Diamondbacks. The Pirates entertained the Giants and Braves in a six game homestead, and had two drastically different performances. Against the Giants, the Pirates swept the Giants behind good solid pitching, but against the Braves the team crumbled as a whole, losing two of three. The series should be an interesting one, even if it has absolutely no effect on the standings, as both teams would be happy to become .500, let alone make the playoffs.
Game one will feature the rookie left-hander Tom Gorzelanny for the Pirates against Carlos Zambrano for the Cubs. Gorzelanny is 1-2 on the year, with a 5.84 ERA, and is considered by many to be one of the best pitching prospects in the major leagues. Zambrano has had a great year for the Cubs, despite the fact that he receives very little support from his team, posting a 12-3 record and a 3.26 ERA. He is coming off a 6-0 month of July, and has won his last nine starts. Not to mention the fact that he leads the National League in strikeouts. It would be no surprise if Zambrano went deep into game one and completely shutdown the Pirates. Another lefty, Zach Duke (7-9, 5.26 ERA) will take the mound in game two for the Pirates as he faces off against Mark Prior (0-5, 7.20 ERA) for the Cubs. Duke has had his ups and downs this year, but has overall just been too inconsistent to predict. Prior has gone winless in his seven starts this year, and has not been impressive whatsoever. That being said, Prior has the skills and ability to be a winning pitcher, and is always a threat to opposing batters. The series finale will be pitched by Ian Snell (9-7, 4.66 ERA) and Rich Hill (1-4, 7.92 ERA). Snell has racked up nine victories this year, but his 4.66 ERA is high, and there is always the possibility that Snell will be shelled. Hill has struggled in the major leagues in the last two seasons, after dominating Triple A. In his last start (his 10th career major league start in two seasons), Hill notched up his first victory, though like Snell, a 7.92 ERA is not going to scare any opposing hitter away.
Analysis: Both teams are young and building towards the future, but with the exception of game one, the Pirates will have the advantage on the pitching rubber. Because both teams are so young, it is difficult to project how the games may turn out, but both teams are proud franchises, and will fight hard to win, despite the fact that they are out of reach of the playoffs. Look for the Pirates to win two of three.
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