Cubs, Pirates resume series in the Steel City
Baseball Betting Lines
06/30/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs will try to get back to the .500 mark this evening, when they resume a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
Chicago ended a two-game losing streak with Monday's 3-1 win over the Pirates in the opener of this series, as starting pitcher Rich Harden recorded a rare recent win for the Cubs' rotation with seven innings of one-run ball. Harden, who won for the first time since May 12, allowed nine hits, struck out nine and walked only one batter to lift Chicago to a 2-6 mark on its 10-game road trip.
"The important thing is the team won today," Harden said on the team's site. "I've never really got caught up in personal wins or losses. As long as I'm doing my job out there and giving the team a chance to win, then I'm happy."
Carlos Marmol tossed a scoreless eighth inning and Kevin Gregg followed with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 13th save of the season.
Ryan Theriot homered and Milton Bradley finished with two hits and an RBI for the Cubs, who are 3 1/2 games off the lead in the National League Central division.
Cubs starter Ted Lilly gets the nod on Tuesday and he is 2-1 over his last three decisions, with Chicago going 5-1 over that stretch of games. Lilly lost his most recent outing Thursday at Detroit, as he allowed six runs and 10 hits in six innings of work.
Lilly, who is 7-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 15 starts this season, will try to stay unbeaten over his career against Pittsburgh. The left-hander is 3-0 with a 4.60 ERA in nine games (7 starts) versus the Bucs.
Pittsburgh has lost two in a row after a four-game winning streak and fell to 4-7 over its last 11 games after last night's loss to Chicago. Jack Wilson had the lone RBI, while Nyjer Morgan had three hits and Andy LaRoche added two with a run scored for the Pirates, who are 4-3 on a 10-game homestand.
"We need to play well," Pittsburgh manager John Russell said on the team's Web site. "Whether people realize it or not, we're right there. If we can start sneaking a few games here or there and continue to play well, we really feel like we're right there where we need to be."
Buccos starter Zach Duke entered Monday's start 5-0 with a 2.50 earned run average over his last five trips to the PNC Park mound, but allowed three runs on seven hits in seven innings of work to absorb the loss.
The Pirates will send Ross Ohlendorf to the hill on Tuesday and he is 1-3 over his past four decisions, spanning seven starts. He most recently faced Cleveland on Thursday and did not factor in the outcome of a 3-2 victory.
Ohlendorf was reached for just a pair of runs through seven innings and allowed five hits, with two strikeouts and three walks. The right-hander, who is 4-2 in eight home starts this season, has never faced the Cubs in his career.
Chicago won two of three matchups with Pittsburgh from May 25-27 at Wrigley Field. The Cubs have won 20 of the last 25 meetings in the series.
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