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Pirates have a few budding stars in their lineup
By Jeremy Harness September 3, 2008 |
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Most people who are familiar with baseball know about former National League batting champion Freddy Sanchez, shortstop Jack Wilson, and even rookie Andy LaRoche. But the Pittsburgh Pirates have other players who are worth mentioning and can wind up being future stars. For instance, Pittsburgh looks like they have one in center fielder Nate McLouth. He currently has a .272 batting average, but he has also hit 23 home runs and has driven in 78 runs in only his third season in the majors. In his fourth major-league season, left-hander Paul Maholm seems to have hit his stride as well. His 8-8 record somewhat covers up the fact that he has a respectable 3.81 ERA as well as 125 strikeouts against only 47 walks. He is scheduled to go up against Matt Cain in Saturday's matchup at AT&T Park, as the Pirates face the Giants in a three-game series that starts Friday night. These Pirates, who seem to rebuild each year despite having a handful of talented players, again sit in the NL Central cellar with a 59-79 record. However, they are coming off a series win over Cincinnati at the Great American Ball Park. Kevin Correia will face Zach Duke, who has endured a horrible fourth season in the majors that has been characterized with a 4-13 record and a 5-14 ERA. Truth be told, he has been in a steady decline ever since going 8-2 in his rookie season of 2005, during which opponents hit only .253 in 14 games against him. To round out the series on Sunday, Jonathan Sanchez will take the ball opposing Pittsburgh righty Jeff Karstens (2-4, 3.62 ERA), who is in his first season with the Pirates after leaving the New York Yankees. |
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