James McDonald News

"I didn't feel anything at the time, but I think that's something that caused my uncomfortable feeling," McCutchen said.

Jeff Locke and two relievers combined on a three-hit shutout Sunday, carrying the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 1-0 interleague decision over Houston.

McDonald went on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday because of the back strain, but Hurdle said Saturday that McDonald's elbow had been bothering him.

Among the many moving parts of the rotation, the fifth spot has remained in flux.

It is only the middle of May, but Andrew McCutchen has already weathered two long slumps this young season.

Charlie Morton was scheduled to throw 35 pitches off a mound on Monday afternoon, using all four of his pitches.

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a good week, going 4-2 in the six games they played. Jeanmar Gomez was the star of the week, mostly for taking the ball on Tuesday as a replacement for the injured James McDonald .

The Pittsburgh Pirates have won 18 of their last 28 games. The Bucs offense has started to come to life and are hitting bombs at a strong pace.

RHP Jeanmar Gomez will look to win his second straight start Sunday when he takes the mound against the Mets in the finale of a four-game series at Citi Field .

Closer Jason Grilli was hoping for a relatively short game at Citi Field on Friday night, a Pirates' victory, of course, and perhaps one that requires his final touch.

Francisco Liriano is set to come off the disabled list and make his Pittsburgh Pirates debut Saturday against the New York Mets.

The Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitching is worse than last year and the team has a better record against a tougher schedule.

I haven't done a good job of posting/talking about relevant news stories this week, so let's catch up here.

MLB Team Report - Pittsburgh Pirates - INSIDE PITCH The circumstances could be ripe Saturday for Russell Martin to make his first major-league appearance in the outfield.

Treanor pulled Welker into his office Tuesday afternoon before Indianapolis' game against Scranton/Wilkes Barre and launched into a tirade, the details of which aren't suitable for a newspaper or, apparently, any reporters' ears.

July 8, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; USA pitcher Gerrit Cole delivers a pitch during the second inning of the 2012 All Star Futures Game at Kauffman Stadium.

Ho hum. Another day at the office for Seattle Mariners ace SP Felix Hernandez . The Mariners were fortunate to get such an elite performance from their ace, as Pittsburgh Pirates ace A.J. Burnett tried to match Hernandez's performance.

James McDonald went down with a shoulder issue that still awaits medical diagnosis.

The 25-year-old Venezuelan right-hander looked forward to a relaxing evening, with an uninterrupted view from the Pirates' bullpen.

Pirates color commentator and former pitcher Bob Walk joined The Fan Morning Show today for another edition of his weekly segment, "Walk on Wednesday." Walk doesn't think James McDonald's trip to the disabled list has anything to do with McDonald's stuff.