After Hart delivers a win, Cubs ship him to Pirates in 5-player deal

The Cubs said "thank you" to Kevin Hart.

Then they said "goodbye."

Minutes after Hart won his third straight start, beating the Houston Astros 12-3, the Cubs shipped him and two players to the Pittsburgh Pirates for left-handed reliever John Grabow and left-handed starting pitcher Tom Gorzelanny.

The Cubs were looking for a second lefty in the pen to go along with Sean Marshall, and the 30-year-old Grabow was on the radar for a while.

In 45 games, he's 3-0 with a 3.42 ERA and a WHIP (walks plus hits per 1 inning pitched) of 1.50. Left-handed batters hit .275 against him while righties have batted .234.

Grabow will join the Cubs on Friday in Florida while Gorzelanny, who has been at Class AAA Indianapolis, will join the Cubs' top farm club at Iowa. However, it is possible Gorzelanny could start next Tuesday in Cincinnati, as the Cubs now have a hole in that spot of the rotation.

Also going to the Pirates were Class AAA pitcher Jose Ascanio and Class A infielder Josh Harrison.

"It was obviously not an easy thing to do, knowing that our starting pitcher was going in this deal today," said Cubs general manager Jim Hendry. "Neal Huntington (the Pirates GM) and I have been talking a lot. We've been talking about John Grabow for a while. We've been getting some real good reports from our scouts on Gorzelanny getting back to what he was. He pitched real well at Indianapolis the last two times out."

After the trade talk had died down for a couple of days, it picked up again Wednesday night, according to Hendry. The Cubs also had been looking at lefty reliever Joe Beimel of Washington, but the Grabow deal came together one day before the 3 p.m. deadline to make nonwaiver trades.

Last season, Grabow had his best year, going 6-3 with a 2.84 ERA in 74 games. Although the numbers indicate lefties hit better off Grabow than do righties, Hendry did not seem concerned.

"No, he's good at both," Hendry said. "And obviously, he's pitched late in games. He's throwing the ball really well now. He had 2 shutout innings (Wednesday) night. When he's in trouble, he has a good knack of getting out of trouble. He's pitched in eighth and ninth innings now for quite a few years.

"So we thought it was a good complement to Marshall. Marshall's done a great job. This gives us some flexibility, too, if Marshall had to have a spot start here or there."

Hart worked 6 innings Thursday, giving up 3 runs. He is 3-1 with a 2.60 ERA in 8 games, 4 starts. He was still decked out in Cubs blue after the game, with a warmup top, shorts and blue shoes.

"You're never happy," he said of leaving. "You never want to get traded, especially a team that's in first place, a team that's playing so well. It's tough, but I've been through it before, and it helps a little bit. It's a great opportunity for me in Pittsburgh. Hopefully, I'll be pitching against the Cubs in a couple of weeks."

The Cubs got Hart from the Baltimore organization in December 2006 for infielder Freddie Bynum.

Grabow may or may not be a long-term Cub. He is making $2.3 million this year and will be a free agent in the fall.

Gorzelanny, 27, won 14 games for the Pirates in 2007, but he has split time between the Pirates and Triple-A this year. At Indianapolis, he's 4-3 with a 2.48 ERA. He is a native of south suburban Evergreen Park.

Bruce Miles' Cubs tracker

Going out strong: In his final start for the Cubs before being traded to the Pirates, Kevin Hart turned in the club's 63rd quality start. Hart worked 6 innings, giving up 6 hits and 3 runs. He left with a 3-1 record and 2.60 ERA.

Leading man: Leadoff hitter Kosuke Fukudome drove in 4 runs for the third time of his career. He's 21-for-59 (. 356) as a leadoff man. His batting average is up to .274, and his OBP is .386.

Pair of jacks: Jake Fox and Milton Bradley hit back-to-back homers in the third. That was the fourth time the Cubs have done that this year. Fox has 6 homers and 24 RBI. Bradley has 8 homers and 26 RBI.

Scouting report

Cubs vs. Florida Marlins at Land Shark Stadium

TV: Comcast SportsNet today and Sunday; Channel 9 Saturday

Radio: WGN 720-AM

Pitching matchups: The Cubs' Rich Harden (7-6) vs. Chris Volstad (8-9) today at 6:10 p.m.; Carlos Zambrano (7-4) vs. TBA Saturday at 6:10 p.m.; Ryan Dempster (5-5) vs. Ricky Nolasco (7-7) Sunday at 4:05 p.m.

At a glance: The Cubs took three of four from the Marlins at Wrigley Field in late April and early May. The Marlins remain on the edges of the playoff hunt. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez leads the NL in batting average and is among the league leaders in several other offensive categories. The Cubs entered Thursday fifth in ERA, at 3.76. The Marlins were sixth, at 4.21. The Cubs' Alfonso Soriano has a pair of homers vs. Nolasco, but is 0-for-9 vs. Volstad.

Next: Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, Monday-Wednesday

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