Brewers try to stay atop NL Central in finale with Bucs

Sep 12, 2007, 14:52 GMT

- If Milwaukee wants to stay in first place, they need to get a solid outing from one of its slumping pitchers, and beat one of Pittsburgh's hottest. The Brewers will try to do just that when they wrap a three-game series with the Pirates this afternoon at PNC Park.

Dave Bush will try to rebound from one of the worst starts of his career when he toes the rubber for Milwaukee. In the shortest start of his career on Friday, Bush allowed nine hits and a career-high tying eight runs over just one inning of work.

The right-hander is 11-10 on the season with a 5.25 earned run average and will try again today to win his career-high tying 12th game.

Bush is 1-3 with a 4.85 ERA in five games (four starts) in his career versus the Pirates, including 1-1 in two starts against them this year. He recently started against the club on September 1 and took the victory.

Tom Gorzelanny will counter for the Pirates and is 3-0 over his last four starts. He became the first Pirates left-hander to win 14 games in a season since Denny Neagle in 1996 when he bested the Cubs on Friday. He held Chicago to one run on six hits over seven innings to improve to 14-7 with a 3.48 earned run average.

Today, Gorzelanny will try to become the first Pirates lefty to win more than 14 games in a year since Zane Smith and John Smiley did so in 1991.

The lefty is 2-0 in three starts against the Brewers this season, besting Bush on May 3, and is 2-0 with a 3.16 ERA in five games (four starts) against them.

The Brewers retook sole possession of first in the National League Central with a 6-1 victory over the Pirates on Tuesday, coupled with a Cubs extra- inning loss to the Astros.

Yovani Gallardo scattered six hits over six scoreless innings yesterday, striking out seven batters and walking three. Prince Fielder and Corey Hart both homered for the Brewers, while Rickie Weeks finished 3-for-4 and scored twice in the win.

Adam LaRoche went 2-for-4 for the Pirates, who took two out of three against the Cubs over the weekend. Bryan Bullington (0-2) allowed three runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and a walk over five-plus frames.

The Pirates added a pair of arms to their staff before yesterday's game when they activated pitchers Salomon Torres and lefty Zach Duke from the disabled list.

Torres was sidelined with right medial elbow inflammation, while Duke had been out due to left elbow tendinitis. Duke is expected to work out of the bullpen for the first time in his career.

Milwaukee has won four of its last five meetings with Pittsburgh and have won 10 of 15 over the club this season. However, the Pirates are still 4-2 versus the Brewers at home in 2007.

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