MLB Insiders - Chicago Cubs

The Pirates open a three game weekend series at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon. Lefty Tom Gorzelanny will get the start for the Bucs. The Cubs counter with right-hander Sean Gallagher.

The Chicago Cubs' early success has been due in large part to their dominance of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Cubs try to remain perfect against the Pirates in 2008 as they look for a 10th straight victory over them when the teams open a weekend series Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Part of the reason for Chicago's success against Pittsburgh this season has been its ability to pound the Pirates' scheduled starter Tom Gorzelanny (3-3, 5.97 ERA).

The left-hander, who's a native of Chicago's south suburbs, is 0-1 and allowed 14 runs through five innings over two starts against the Cubs this season. Gorzelanny, who is 2-3 with a 6.06 ERA lifetime versus Chicago, bounced back after missing a start due to tightness in his lower back by allowing two runs and seven hits in 7 1-3 innings of a 5-2 win over Atlanta on Saturday.

The Pirates get their first look at Chicago's Sean Gallagher (0-0, 6.48) as a starter when he takes the ball. Gallagher, who replaced Jon Lieber in the Cubs' rotation, allowed four runs, five hits and struck out six in 4 1-3 innings of a 6-4 victory over Arizona on Sunday in his first major league start.

The 22-year-old right-hander made 10 career relief appearances prior to his start Sunday, including one against the Pirates. He allowed a run in 1 1-3 innings of relief in an 8-4 loss at Pittsburgh on July 6.

Now that Jim Edmonds officially is a member of the Cubs, manager Lou Piniella will have to divide playing time in center field between Edmonds and Reed Johnson.

Edmonds is a left-handed batter, and Johnson hits right-handed. With the Pirates throwing three left-handed starting pitchers at the Cubs this weekend, Johnson probably will get all of the starts, with Edmonds seeing time late in games, if the team needs a double switch.

"Johnson deserves playing time, and he's done a nice job," Piniella said Thursday. "We're going to give both of them ample at-bats."

Edmonds made his Cubs debut Thursday in a 4-0 victory over the Padres, who released him last week. He went 1-for-4 with a strikeout, and he handled a pair of chances in center.

He batted .178 in 26 games for the Padres.

"I felt like I was starting to play a little bit better and starting to get my feet underneath me," said Edmonds, who was slowed in spring training by a calf injury.

He batted sixth in the Cubs' lineup Thursday.

CUBS 4, PADRES 0: Ryan Dempster struck out a career-best 12 and came within two outs of a complete game. He walked one and gave up six hits. During one span, he retired 15 Padres in a row. Derrek Lee hit a two-run double during a four-run fifth inning to chase San Diego starter Greg Maddux. Kerry Wood earned his eighth save in 11 chances.

--INF/OF Daryle Ward has a bulging disk in his lower back. Ward said he and the Cubs will wait until Sunday to see if exercises alleviate the problem. If they don't, Ward will have an injection and will go on the 15-day disabled list. Until then, Ward remains available to pinch-hit. If the Cubs have to put Ward on the DL, their first choice for a minor league call-up appears to be INF-OF Micah Hoffpauir, who is at Class AAA Iowa. Hoffpauir hit well as a non-roster invitee to spring training.

--LF Alfonso Soriano has led off three consecutive games with hits. He singled to start Thursday's 4-0 victory over the Padres. In the previous two games, he led off with home runs. Over his last six games, Soriano is 12-for-24 with two doubles, three homers and seven RBIs.

--1B Derrek Lee snapped an 0-for-12 slump with a two-run double in the fourth inning Thursday.

--RHP Ryan Dempster turned in the longest outing by a Cubs starting pitcher this year, going 8 1/3 innings in a 4-0 victory over the Padres. It was the first time Dempster had thrown eight or more innings since he pitched a complete game on April 8, 2003 against Houston, when Dempster was with Cincinnati. Dempster is 5-1 with a 2.35 ERA.

--RF Kosuke Fukudome hit a single and walked twice Thursday. He has reached base in 34 of his 40 games and has a .426 on-base percentage.

--Rookie RHP Sean Gallagher makes his second career start Friday against Pittsburgh. Gallagher started Sunday against Arizona, going 4 1/3 innings and giving up four runs and five hits.

BY THE NUMBERS: 168 -- The Cubs took 168 walks into this week (36 games). At that pace, they would draw 756 bases on balls for the season. The club record is 650, set in 1975. This trend continues to be a marked departure for a team that valued free-swinging. The Cubs now are balancing aggressiveness and selectivity. The Cubs had 113 walks through 36 games last year.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I was a little scared because it's a little cold, but I think I'm OK. I just want to feel comfortable with my legs." -- Soriano on continuing to be cautious with his legs.