1.
September 6, 2008, 9:10 am est
Pittsburgh Pirates SP Zach Duke pitched a complete game shutout Friday, Sept. 5, against the San Francisco Giants, according to The Associated Press. He allowed six hits, walked two and struck out four, improving to 5-13 on the season. It was Duke's second career shutout and third complete game, and he snapped a personal nine-game losing streak, the longest for a Pirates pitcher since Jose DeLeon lost 11 consecutive games in 1985.
1.
September 6, 2008, 1:40 am est
Duke has thrown two straight quality starts, but Friday's outing was probably his best of the year. It was his first complete game and just his third scoreless start, although it was against the Giants lineup. He could get hit up pretty hard by a good Astros batting order on Sept. 11 at Minute Maid Park.
2.
September 6, 2008, 1:25 am est
News: Zach Duke pitched a six-hitter to snap a career-worst nine-game skid and the Pittsburgh Pirates ran their winning streak in San Francisco to seven with a 7-0 victory over the Giants on Friday night, when a light earthquake rattled the area during the game. Duke (5-13) struck out four and walked two in his third career complete game and second shutout. In two of his previous three outings, the Pirates failed to score while he was on the mound.
Analysis: Brandon Moss drove in three runs and Adam LaRoche two for Pittsburgh, helping Duke win for the first time in 15 starts since beating Arizona on June 9. The left-hander ended the longest losing streak by a Pirates pitcher since Jose DeLeon lost 11 in a row in 1985. Duke continues to let down expectations and is nothing more than a high-risk starter for the deepest of NL-only leagues. His next scheduled start is for Thursday against the Astros
3.
September 6, 2008, 1:10 am est
Zach Duke threw a complete game shutout against the Giants on Friday night in San Francisco. He gave up six hits and struck out four in the 7-0 victory.In his last start Duke lasted eight innings and only gave up two runs. Still, Duke is just 5-13 and his excellent performance brings his ERA down to just 4.87. He remains too inconsistent to warrant serious consideration in fantasy leagues.
4.
September 6, 2008, 1:10 am est
Zach Duke pitched a six-hit shutout against the Giants on Friday to win for the first time since June 9. The Giants may be a little more interesting to follow now with Nate Schierholtz and Pablo Sandoval up, but this just further illustrates that they still have the league's worst offense. Duke had lost his last nine decisions. The shutout was the second of his career and first since an 8-0 game against the Cubs on May 2, 2006. Duke is 2-0 with a 1.65 ERA against the Giants this season and 3-13 with a 5.21 ERA versus everyone else.