John Kruk picked Carlos Zambrano at the beginning of the season to win the National Cy Young Award, and he's sticking to his guns. Carlos Zambrano faces a team that he's dominated over the course of his career entering this season. However the Pirates have proved to be a worthy opponent for Z. He allowed five runs - three earned - against them last time out, and five earned the start against them before. This afternoon he looks to return to dominance. To do this he's going to have to solve Jason Bay's .308/.419/.769/1.189 career line against him. The rest of the Pirates haven't done much.
The Pirates are countering with lefty Paul Maholm. The Cubs touched Maholm up for four runs last time out. Maholm has given up 17 runs his last three outings, and the Pirates need a big boost from him. The Cubs need a bigger boost from Z, as they'll send out three rookies against the Pirates the next three days.
This is a pivotal series in the Reverse Pennant Race. The Pirates swept the Cubs last week hurting their chances to end up with a high pick. Sunday turned out to be a profitable day for the Cubs, gaining a game on the Royals and the Devil Rays. Both teams are very close going into Monday's action:
1. 87 Kansas City Royals
2. 83 Pittsburgh Pirates
3. 82 Tampa Bay Devil Rays
4. 81 Chicago Cubs
5. 77 Washington Nationals
Elsewhere in the Major Leagues it was home runs galore for Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard as each knocked three home runs. The Florida Marlins have reached .500, in a season where they were 20 games under at one point. Is Miguel Cabrera a legit candidate for National League MVP? Will voters factor in his small run environment? Probably not.
Stat of the Day: Top Five NL Pitchers in Composite VORP:
1. 60.4 Chris Carpenter, RHP - St. Louis Cardinals
2. 57.8 Brandon Webb, RHP - Arizona Diamondbacks
3. 54.5 Roy Oswalt, RHP - Houston Astros
4. 54.4 Carlos Zambrano, RHP - Chicago Cubs
5. 52.8 John Smoltz, RHP - Atlanta Braves
A few weeks ago Carlos Zambrano was leading this statistic, yeah Kruk he's come on of late giving up five runs to the Pirates. He's going to have to have one hell of a finish if he's going to win the award.
The Pirates are countering with lefty Paul Maholm. The Cubs touched Maholm up for four runs last time out. Maholm has given up 17 runs his last three outings, and the Pirates need a big boost from him. The Cubs need a bigger boost from Z, as they'll send out three rookies against the Pirates the next three days.
This is a pivotal series in the Reverse Pennant Race. The Pirates swept the Cubs last week hurting their chances to end up with a high pick. Sunday turned out to be a profitable day for the Cubs, gaining a game on the Royals and the Devil Rays. Both teams are very close going into Monday's action:
1. 87 Kansas City Royals
2. 83 Pittsburgh Pirates
3. 82 Tampa Bay Devil Rays
4. 81 Chicago Cubs
5. 77 Washington Nationals
Elsewhere in the Major Leagues it was home runs galore for Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard as each knocked three home runs. The Florida Marlins have reached .500, in a season where they were 20 games under at one point. Is Miguel Cabrera a legit candidate for National League MVP? Will voters factor in his small run environment? Probably not.
Stat of the Day: Top Five NL Pitchers in Composite VORP:
1. 60.4 Chris Carpenter, RHP - St. Louis Cardinals
2. 57.8 Brandon Webb, RHP - Arizona Diamondbacks
3. 54.5 Roy Oswalt, RHP - Houston Astros
4. 54.4 Carlos Zambrano, RHP - Chicago Cubs
5. 52.8 John Smoltz, RHP - Atlanta Braves
A few weeks ago Carlos Zambrano was leading this statistic, yeah Kruk he's come on of late giving up five runs to the Pirates. He's going to have to have one hell of a finish if he's going to win the award.
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