The musical chairs at the back end of the Cubs rotation continues, as Ramon Ortiz gets another shot here after he held the Nats to three runs (two earned) in six innings. That?s nice, it really is but we?re here to tell you that every ball was scorched and we seriously mean scorched. The problem was they were hit right at people. For the Iowa Cubs, Ortiz allowed 115 hits (.292 BAA) in 99 innings and 12 of those hits went yard. His ERA in the minors this year was 4.45. He was also was in the minors from ?05 to ?07 and he posted ERA?s of 5.46, 5.57 and 5.45 respectively in those three years. Ortiz is 38 years old and he?s a fill in until the Cubs get some healthy bodies back. He was extremely lucky in his season debut, period. The Pirates have been a resilient and strong bounce back club all season long. They?ll get plenty of opportunities to score today in front of what should be another packed house. Paul Maholm has outstanding numbers the first and second time he goes through lineups. Things fall apart for him late in games so if he can find a solution for his late game troubles, his stock will rise fast. Maholm has a strong groundball profile and at PNC Park this year his ERA is 2.02. Laying 1?-runs at home or anywhere is risky and that?s why the price is so high. However, against Ortiz, it?s worth a bet because the Pirates should score five runs or more today.
credit -Sherwood
credit -Sherwood
