PITTSBURGH—The Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates lost a wasted evening and a scheduled day off. Zach Duke lost a chance to match up against Stephen Strasburg.The Cubs-Pirates game finally was postponed due to unplayable field conditions along the warning track after a rain delay of 3 hours, 12 minutes on Wednesday.Heavy rain that fell for about two hours overwhelmed PNC Park’s drainage system, causing standing water more than a foot deep to accumulate on the outfield track from foul line to foul line.The game will be made up at 12:35 p.m. Monday. Both teams are off Thursday, but the Pirates already had played the maximum 20 games in 20 days allowed under MLB’s labor agreement.Even though both teams play in the NL Central, the Cubs weren’t scheduled to visit Pittsburgh again this season.It hadn’t rained for more than an hour when the game was called off, after managers Lou Piniella and John Russell, the umpires and various Pirates executives, including president Frank Coonelly, watched the grounds crew struggle to move the pools of water.With more heavy rain expected to start falling later in the evening, the game was called off even though the infield and outfield appeared to be playable. The PNC Park outfield and infield drainage systems are designed to handle monsoon-type rains, and the only visible standing water on the field was created when the infield tarp was removed in left field. But the rain was so heavy for so long, the water pooled on the warning tracks, where there is no drainage.Duke, who has lost eight consecutive decisions against the Cubs, will be pushed back to start Friday against San Francisco, with Paul Maholm pitching Saturday and Ross Ohlendorf on Sunday.Because of the rainout, Duke won’t make his scheduled start Tuesday against Strasburg in the Nationals’ rookie’s highly anticipated major league debut.

His left eye swollen, Vladimir Guerrero looked as if he had just gone 12 rounds.He insisted, he’s fine.The Texas Rangers are looking pretty good, too, at the moment even if their star is a bit banged up.Matt Treanor homered and drove in a career-high four runs, and the Rangers beat the White Sox 9-5 on Wednesday after losing Guerrero to an eye injury during batting practice.Guerrero, the designated hitter, was scratched from the lineup after a ball he hit ricocheted off the top of the cage and struck him above the left eye. X-rays taken at a hospital showed no structural damage, and the eight-time All-Star insisted through an interpreter he could have pinch-hit if needed, no matter how bad he looked.He said his vision is fine and laughed when someone asked what round they stopped the fight.Even without Guerrero, Texas still managed to pound Gavin Floyd (2-6). Treanor capped a three-run first with a two-run bases-loaded double, and led off the third with his third homer. He was also robbed in the sixth when right fielder Carlos Quentin raced back for a lunging catch on his sacrifice fly.Texas’ Michael Young had three hits, including doubles in the first two innings, and drove in three runs while scoring two. Hamilton had his second straight three-hit game, and the Rangers had 12 hits after getting 19 the previous night in a 9-6 win.Paul Konerko hit two home runs off Scott Feldman late in the game, giving him 16 this season. He went deep twice at Texas on April 29 and has 26 multi-homer games in his career.For Konerko, this was just another sickening loss.Feldman (3-5) got his second win in three starts, allowing five runs and eight hits in a season-high eight innings.Floyd lasted 2 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits and six runs. It was the sixth time an opponent scored at least five runs against him, and the Rangers had their way even though they didn’t have their slugger.The injury to Guerrero, who’s batting .335 with 12 homers and is second in the majors with 44 RBI, set a bad tone, but the AL West leaders were able to get by for at least one night.

NOTES—With Guerrero out, LF Hamilton moved into cleanup spot with Young going from 3B to DH and Andres Blanco starting at 3B and batting eighth…….RHP Tommy Hunter is scheduled to make his first start of the season against Tampa Bay on Saturday, after being slowed in spring training with a left oblique strain and sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City…..Bobby Jenks, who strained his calf running on Friday, worked the ninth in his first appearance in a week. “Everything’s good,” he said before the game. And manager Ozzie Guillen reiterated his role wasn’t about to change even though he entered Wednesday’s game with a 6.35 ERA.Piniella said his pitching plans were indefinite and would be discussed on the plane ride to Houston, where the Cubs open a three-game series Friday. One problem is Ted Lilly would be in line to face the Pirates for the fourth time this season on Monday, which Piniella wants to avoid.Carlos Zambrano, the former ace who shifted to the bullpen early in the season, will make his first start since April 20 in Houston. He had been scheduled to pitch Thursday.A three-city trip for the Cubs now becomes a four-city journey, from Pittsburgh to Houston back to Pittsburgh and then to Milwaukee for a three-game series starting Tuesday.Before the game was called, one lightning bolt rattled the upper deck, causing fans to move en masse to lower levels. Lightning crashes periodically shook PNC Park, where the Pirates had not lost a game to weather this season.The Pirates lead the season series 7-1, winning all five games played in Pittsburgh.

His left eye swollen, Vladimir Guerrero looked as if he had just gone 12 rounds.He insisted, he’s fine.The Texas Rangers are looking pretty good, too, at the moment even if their star is a bit banged up.Matt Treanor homered and drove in a career-high four runs, and the Rangers beat the White Sox 9-5 on Wednesday after losing Guerrero to an eye injury during batting practice.Guerrero, the designated hitter, was scratched from the lineup after a ball he hit ricocheted off the top of the cage and struck him above the left eye. X-rays taken at a hospital showed no structural damage, and the eight-time All-Star insisted through an interpreter he could have pinch-hit if needed, no matter how bad he looked.He said his vision is fine and laughed when someone asked what round they stopped the fight.Even without Guerrero, Texas still managed to pound Gavin Floyd (2-6). Treanor capped a three-run first with a two-run bases-loaded double, and led off the third with his third homer. He was also robbed in the sixth when right fielder Carlos Quentin raced back for a lunging catch on his sacrifice fly.Texas’ Michael Young had three hits, including doubles in the first two innings, and drove in three runs while scoring two. Hamilton had his second straight three-hit game, and the Rangers had 12 hits after getting 19 the previous night in a 9-6 win.Paul Konerko hit two home runs off Scott Feldman late in the game, giving him 16 this season. He went deep twice at Texas on April 29 and has 26 multi-homer games in his career.For Konerko, this was just another sickening loss.Feldman (3-5) got his second win in three starts, allowing five runs and eight hits in a season-high eight innings.Floyd lasted 2 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits and six runs. It was the sixth time an opponent scored at least five runs against him, and the Rangers had their way even though they didn’t have their slugger.The injury to Guerrero, who’s batting .335 with 12 homers and is second in the majors with 44 RBI, set a bad tone, but the AL West leaders were able to get by for at least one night.

NOTES—With Guerrero out, LF Hamilton moved into cleanup spot with Young going from 3B to DH and Andres Blanco starting at 3B and batting eighth…….RHP Tommy Hunter is scheduled to make his first start of the season against Tampa Bay on Saturday, after being slowed in spring training with a left oblique strain and sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City…..Bobby Jenks, who strained his calf running on Friday, worked the ninth in his first appearance in a week. “Everything’s good,” he said before the game. And manager Ozzie Guillen reiterated his role wasn’t about to change even though he entered Wednesday’s game with a 6.35 ERA.

Ian Kinsler and the Texas Rangers wore out Mark Buehrle and wiped out an early four-run deficit.Kinsler had two hits and drove in three runs and Craig Gentry hit a two-run single in a five-run sixth to lead the Rangers to a 9-6 comeback victory over the White Sox on Tuesday night.Josh Hamilton and David Murphy each had three hits for the Rangers, who snapped a four-game losing streak.Former Cub Rich Harden (3-1) hung around long enough to get the victory, allowing four runs on seven hits. He struck out one and allowed three walks.Buehrle (3-6) couldn’t hold on to an early 4-0 lead. Buehrle was tagged for four runs on four hits in the sixth inning.Rangers reliever Frank Francisco struck out the side in order in the seventh and Darren Oliver struck out two for a perfect eighth inning. But closer Neftali Feliz loaded the bases in the ninth with one out before getting Alexei Ramirez to popout and Omar Vizquel to fly to center for his 14th save in 16 opportunities.Justin Smoak also had a pinch-hit RBI single and a solo home run for Texas.Carlos Quentin homered for the Sox.With one out in the sixth inning and leading 4-2, Buehrle gave up four consecutive singles. With the bases loaded, Gentry, who was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, lined a single up the middle to score Joaquin Arias and Murphy to end Buehrle’s outing.Michael Young followed with a sacrifice fly off reliever Sergio Santos to put the Rangers ahead and Kinsler capped off a five-run inning with a two-run double down the left-field line to give the Rangers a 7-4 lead.Gordon Beckham’s RBI single and Paul Konerko’s bases loaded walk cut the lead to 7-6 in the bottom of the sixth.The Rangers got some insurance on Smoak’s pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh inning off White Sox reliever J.J. Putz, and Smoak’s homer off Scott Linebrink in the ninth.Buehrle made his first start since being ejected by umpire Joe West for flipping his glove after being called for his second balk of the game in the second inning of Wednesday’s win at Cleveland. He allowed six runs on a season-high 12 hits. Although he did not give up a run in the first inning he threw 37 pitches.In the second inning, Harden gave up a leadoff home run to Quentin. He then allowed three consecutive singles to Ramirez, Vizquel and Beckham. Ramirez scored on Beckham’s single and Vizquel scored on A.J. Pierzynski’s groundout to give the White Sox a 4-0 lead.

NOTES—Rangers RHP(and former White Sox hurler) Brandon McCarthy threw a bullpen session on Tuesday in Oklahoma City. If the bullpen session went well McCarthy could be activated off the minor league disabled list and be used as a reliever for Triple-A Oklahoma by the end of the week. … Before the game, the White Sox placed Mark Teahen on the 15-day DL with a fractured right middle finger. INF Brent Lillibridge was called up from Triple-A Charlotte took his spot on the roster.

PITTSBURGH—The hometown kid’s first home run helped the Pirates do what they do best,at least this season — beat the Cubs.Pittsburgh-area native Neil Walker hit a two-run homer to the deepest part of the ballpark in left-center to put the Pirates ahead in the eighth and they beat the Cubs for the seventh time this season, 3-2 on Tuesday.Walker, the Pirates’ first-round draft choice in 2004 who went to the high school that won the Western Pennsylvania district championship Tuesday night, hit a 0-1 pitch from Ted Lilly (1-5) with Andrew McCutchen on and one out.The Pirates improved to 7-1 against the Cubs this season — they’re 15-30 against everyone else — and have won nine of their past 10 against the Cubs overall.Xavier Nady — one of several backups in the Cubs lineup — had four hits, including his third home run, but they lost for the fourth time in five games.Pittsburgh’s Garrett Jones homered for the second consecutive day, Joel Hanrahan (2-1) pitched a perfect top of the eighth and Octavio Dotel a perfect ninth for his 12th save.Lou Piniella, trying desperately to find a lineup that will produce consistent offense, juggled his starters again. The Cubs had scored only nine runs in their previous four games.No fewer than four Cubs regulars did not start – and that doesn’t even include Ryan Theriot, who was recently benched for Mike Fontenot at second base. Nady started for Derrek Lee at first, Jeff Baker replaced Aramis Ramirez at third, Tyler Colvin played center over Marlon Byrd and catcher Geovany Soto sat in favor of Koyie Hill.It didn’t work.The lineup shuffle seemed to pay off when Nady homered with Kosuke Fukudome aboard and one out in the third. It gave the Visitors a 2-0 lead and twice as many runs as it had scored in four of the previous five games.The Cubs’ most recent three wins had come by shutout. Jones erased that possibility when he led off the fourth with his seventh home run.An inning prior, Pittsburgh had an apparent run taken away when Lasting Milledge was thrown out trying to stretch his two-out hit into a triple before starting pitcher Jeff Karstens crossed home plate.For a team with its own offensive troubles — the Pirates, at 15th, rank two spots below the Cubs in the National League in runs — wasting an opportunity to score appeared too much to overcome until the eighth.Lilly hadn’t officially pitched more than seven innings since September, but threw a season-high 112 pitches Tuesday.After one out in the eighth, Lilly walked McCutchen before Walker hit his fastball into the seats to give him at least one hit in six of his eight games since being called up last week.

NOTES—Lilly has gone at least six innings and allowed three earned runs or less in each of his past five starts.