Doumit on DL

The Pirates put catcher Ryan Doumit on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday and recalled catcher Raul Chavez from Class AAA Indianapolis.

Doumit fractured his left thumb during the first inning of Tuesday's 8-4 Pirates win in St. Louis. He is batting .350 this season with five home runs and 15 RBI.

Chavez is 35 and has spent parts of nine major league season with four organizations - Montreal, Seattle, Houston and Baltimore. He was last in the majors with the Orioles in 2006, when he batted .179 in 16 games. Chavez is a career .212 hitter with four home runs and 40 RBI.

This season, Chavez is batting .306 with three home runs and 13 RBI with Class AAA Indianapolis. He is also a very good defensive catcher with a strong arm.

It will be interesting to see what kind of impact Doumit's injury has on the Pirates' offense. Doumit has really responded to increased playing time this season. His power numbers are up and his average has not dipped below .311 the entire year, consistently staying around his present mark.

Ronny Paulino, who lost the starting job in spring training to Doumit, has fared well in spot duty especially recently. For the season, Paulino is batting .224 with no home runs and 13 RBI. He has drive in fve runs in his last three games, including the game-winner Tuesday in the 10th inning.

Paulino must raise his batting average and show consistency on both offense and defense to match Doumit's production. This injury, and it's not known yet how long Doumit will be out, could have a major impact on the Pirates' lineup.