Pirates at Cubs
A.J. Burnett has not pitched in a month, but the Pittsburgh Pirates' ace will be in a familiar spot when he takes the mound for Sunday's series finale against the Chicago Cubs. Burnett has been sidelined since suffering a strained calf muscle in a start at Wrigley Field on June 8. Burnett picked up the win in that outing, coming within two outs of a shutout to end a personal five-game losing streak and improve his record to 5-0 at Wrigley.
Alfonso Soriano is expected to be among the most coveted players at the trade deadline and the Cubs' left fielder enhanced his marketability by swatting a pair of two-run homers in Saturday's 4-1 victory. Soriano has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, going deep five times and driving in 13 runs during that span. The two blasts Saturday moved him into a tie with Harold Baines for 59th on baseball's all-time list with 384 home runs.
TV: 2:20 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Pittsburgh), WGN (Chicago)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH A.J. Burnett (4-6, 3.12 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Carlos Villanueva (2-4, 3.45)
Burnett's win over the Cubs last month snapped a six-start winless streak during which he went 0-4 despite allowing three runs or fewer five times. He has surrendered more than three earned runs in only one of his 14 starts, but the Pirates have scored two runs or fewer in eight of his outings. Burnett has dominated Chicago over his career with a 7-2 record and 3.08 ERA in 10 starts.
Villanueva will be making his first start in nearly two months, taking the place of Scott Feldman, who was traded to Baltimore last week. He was dropped from the starting rotation after getting battered for seven runs and 12 hits by Colorado on May 14. He has made three relief appearances against the Pirates this season, giving up one run on four hits over five innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pittsburgh was rewarded for having the best record in the majors by having four players - 3B Pedro Alvarez, CF Andrew McCutchen, LHP Jeff Locke and closer Jason Grilli - named to the NL All-Star team.
2. Soriano has hit 31 homers in 102 games against the Pirates.
3. Pirates LF Starling Marte is riding an 11-game hitting streak.