Blogs

The Pirates on Monday optioned right-hander Daniel McCutchen to Triple-A, but he might not make it back to Indianapolis.

The Pirates this afternoon tied a franchise record by allowing 13 runs in the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

I got an e-mail this morning from Michael Ozanian, the Forbes editor who last week blogged that Bob Nutting might try to sell the Pirates this summer. Ozanian took exception to Nutting’s brush-off of his report, as well as the Pirates’ routine dismissal of Forbes’ annual franchise valuation numbers.

Delwyn Young’s eyes got large and his jaw dropped as he took his first look at the lineup card this morning. The surprise wasn’t the fact that he is starting, as it is where he’s playing.

PHOENIX — During the 10 days after he was designated for assignment by the Pirates, outfielder Brandon Moss went home to Loganville, Ga. Frustrated after hitting .081 (3 for 37) during spring training, Moss went back to work with his high school coaches. “During that (10-day) time, so many things started clicking,” Moss said. “I [...]

Zach Duke led tonight’s game against the Diamondbacks with a 6-3 lead. In the eighth, he watched relievers Jack Taschner, Brendan Donnelly and Javier Lopez get through a dicey situation.

Manager John Russell tweaked the middle of the lineup, putting Lastings Milledge into the No. 3 position and dropping Garrett Jones and Ryan Doumit each down one spot.

Right-hander Kevin Hart is not expected to be fined or suspended by the Triple-A International League after being ejected Thursday for throwing behind a batter.

Here’s today’s Pirates lineup:

Ross Ohlendorf had a bumpy ride toward the end of spring training, putting up final stats of 0-3 with a 9.61 ERA in six outings. Over 19 2/3 innings, the righty allowed 34 hits and seven walks.