It's no secret that the Cubs have had their struggles against the Pittsburgh Pirates. A team that hasn't had a winning record since 1992, seems to have no problems when they face the Cubs. An interesting sub-plot to the series is the Cubs will get to face former teammate Derrek Lee. Lee was acquired from Baltimore prior to the trade deadline. Pittsburgh, for the first time in many years, was actually a buyer at the trade deadline and added Lee and Ryan Ludwick to help improve the offense. Now the Cubs just need to figure out how to beat the Buc's.
Carlos Zambrano will take the ball in game one of the series with Pittsburgh. Zambrano comes in with a 7-6 record and an ERA of 4.59. In his last outing against Pittsburgh, the Cubs righty earned a no decision allowing three runs in six innings of work.
Paul Maholm will get the start for Pittsburgh Monday evening. Maholm is having a much better record than his record would indicate. The Pirates lefty comes in with a 6-10 record but has an excellent ERA of just 3.16. Against the Cubs this season, Maholm is 2-0 in three starts with an ERA of 0.39.
The weather forecast in Pittsburgh at the time of first pitch is temps in the upper 80's with a slight chance for a thunderstorm. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 CST. The game will be televised on CSN plus.