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Wainwright, Gorzelanny look to cap seasons on winning note

Sep 29, 2007 - 1:23 PM St Louis (76-84) at Pittsburgh (68-92) 7:05 pm EDT

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) - The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals are suffering through disappointing seasons, but they have each found pitchers they hope will anchor their rotations for years to come.

Adam Wainwright and Tom Gorzelanny will square off when the Cardinals visit the Pirates on Saturday.

St. Louis took the series opener on Friday, snapping a 1-1 tie with four runs in the eighth in a 6-1 victory.

Wainwright (13-12, 3.69 ERA) was on the mound in 2006 when the Cardinals closed out their World Series victory over the Detroit Tigers, but was made into a starter to begin this season. The 26-year-old righthander was 7-7 with a 4.66 ERA in 17 starts before the All-Star break, but has pitched better since, going 6-5 with a 2.62 ERA in 14 outings since the Midsummer Classic.

He has allowed more than three runs just once since the break - last Monday at Milwaukee, when he allowed four earned runs in five innings to suffer a loss.

Gorzelanny (14-9, 3.73) got off to a fast start this season, but has struggled in the second half. The 25-year-old lefthander was 9-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 18 starts prior to the break, but has been up and down since, compiling a 5-5 record and a 4.70 ERA in 13 outings since the break.

He pitched just 61 2/3 innings in his rookie campaign last season, but has bumped that total up to 195 2/3 entering Saturday's contest.