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Cubs-Pirates Preview

Sep 7, 2009 - 10:15 PM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Chicago (68-67) at Pittsburgh (54-81), 7:05 p.m. EDT

Expected to contend for the World Series, this season has been a disappointment for the Chicago Cubs.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are no strangers to disappointing seasons.

Assured of a record-breaking 17th consecutive losing season, the Pirates try for a rare win against the Cubs when they meet Tuesday night at PNC Park.

With Monday's 4-2 loss to Chicago, Pittsburgh (54-82) will finish below .500 - just as it has every season since 1993. The string of losing seasons for the Pirates, who have dropped 10 of 11, is a major league record and the longest for any team in the four major North American pro team sports. Only the Phillies (1933-48) have had as many as 16 losing seasons in a row.

"We can't ignore it and say it didn't happen," manager John Russell said. "We're not accepting it. We're making moves to make sure we build a championship team, and we want that to happen as soon as possible."

The Cubs (69-67) are still above .500, but for a team that entered 2009 winners of back-to-back division titles, the club is falling short of expectations. They are 11 1/2 games back of NL Central-leading St. Louis, and trail four teams in the wild-card race.

Derrek Lee homered twice Monday and has been one of the few bright spots for Chicago.

"It's been a good few days," said Lee, who also hit two home runs in Saturday's 5-3 win over the New York Mets. "I definitely have been feeling good at the plate. It seems when I get a pitch, it's been going out of the ballpark."

Lee is batting .375 with seven home run and 13 RBIs in his last 11 games and is 7 for 14 with three homers, two doubles and 12 RBIs in his last four games against the Pirates.

It could be tough for him to continue his surge, though. The Cubs first baseman is batting .130 with no extra-base hits in 23 at-bats against scheduled starter Zach Duke (10-13, 3.71 ERA) since the start of last season.

While Duke has done a good job of shutting down Lee, that hasn't led to any wins over Chicago. He is 0-7 with a 4.24 ERA in 12 starts against the Cubs since last beating them May 2, 2006.

The left-hander hasn't pitched badly in three starts against Chicago this season, recording a 3.38 ERA, but he's been backed with four total runs of support, leaving him with an 0-2 record.

The last time Duke took the mound, he allowed five runs and nine hits - including two homers - in six innings of a 5-3 loss to Cincinnati on Wednesday. He has posted a 10.00 ERA in losing his last two starts after going 1-1 with a 2.91 ERA in his previous three.

The Cubs counter with Ryan Dempster (8-8, 3.96), who allowed three runs - all unearned - and nine hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings of Thursday's 5-0 loss to the White Sox.

In his only start of the season against Pittsburgh on May 25, the right-hander was knocked around for six runs, seven hits and three walks in four innings of a 10-8 loss, but didn't receive a decision.

Despite Dempster's poor outing versus the Pirates, the Cubs are 7-2 against them this season and have won 24 of the last 30 meetings.