Good news for Snell, Dumatrait

Pirates pitchers Phil Dumatrait and Ian Snell each had medical procedures performed today and both came out with positive results.

Dumatrait had an MRI performed by team doctor Dr. Patrick DeMeo and the and the test revealed bursitis in his left shoulder.

With rest, the Pirates feel that Dumatrait should be able to come off the disabled list as scheduled on July 5.

Snell had an MRA performed today at Allegheny General Hospital and the tests revealed medial epicondylitis and no damage to the ulnar collateral ligament.

It very possible, almost likely, that Snell will miss his next scheduled start Friday at home against Tampa Bay. He is listed as day to day. The Pirates are hopeful that Snell will not need to go on the disabled list.

Pirates-Blue Jays: Here's what to look for

We're going to take a bit of a different turn with this series' "Here's what to look for." With very little recent history between the two clubs, the usual batter vs. pitcher matchups are pretty useless. So here are some random notes for the series:

Pitching matchups: Friday – Zach Duke (Pittsburgh) vs. Roy Halladay (Toronto); Saturday: Paul Maholm (Pittsburgh) vs. Jesse Litsch (Toronto); Sunday: Ian Snell (Pittsburgh) vs. Dustin McGowan (Toronto).

One thing to look for is how Toronto plays under new manager Cito Gaston, who was hired Friday afternoon to replace the fired John Gibbons. Gaston is the most successful manager in Blue Jays' history, leading the team to consecutive World series titles in 1992 and '93.

He is also the fourth-oldest manager in baseball history and it will be interesting to see how the younger players react to Gaston and his style.

This is Toronto's first visit to PNC Park.

The Pirates enter the game with the major's worst interleague record in history – 58-99. Pittsburgh, which begins a nine-game homestand Friday, is 37-40 at home in interleague compared to 21-59 on the road.

Mr. Alvarez, you're up

Now that Tim Beckham, the high school shortstop and No. 1 pick in this year's draft signed with Tampa Bay, the focus now turns to the Pirates and Pedro Alvarez, the No. 2 pick.

Beckham signed Thursday for a $6.15 million signing bonus. It was less than the deal Tampa's No. 1 pick of last year – pitcher David Price – got, but a little more than Beckham was projected to receive.

Part of the reason Beckham signed so fast was so that he could start playing immediately. His career will start at Hunnicutt Field in Princeton, W.Va., home of the Princeton Rays, Tampa's Appalachian League Rookie-level team.

Now the Pirates are up and it will be very interesting to see how Beckham's signing impacts Alvarez. It has been made clear that Alvarez and his agent, Scott Boras, want upwards of $7 million in a signing bonus, which would be a record.

The problem for the Pirates is this: Do they stick to their guns and hold their offer to less than what Beckham received, simply because he was drafted ahead of Alvarez? Or, do they pay above slot, and above the system team president Frank Coonelly put in place when he was with Major League Baseball? And if they do, how will that be looked at by the commissioner's office?

The deadline for Alvarez to sign is Aug. 15.

Pirates-White Sox: Here's what to look for

Here are some trends to keep an eye on this week during the Pirates series in Chicago against the White Sox (Hint: With Xavier Nady hurt, it might be Jason Michaels time to shine):

Tuesday: Ian Snell (Pittsburgh) vs. Javier Vazquez (Chicago)
Snell won for the first time since April 12 in his last start. … It was his best start of the season. … Vazquez is 4-3 with a 4.76 ERA vs. the Pirates. … Vazquez has lost two straight starts. Michaels is 5-for-15 with a home run and three RBI vs. Vazquez.

Wednesday: Tom Gorzelanny (Pittsburgh) vs. Mark Buehrle (Chicago)
Gorzelanny won his last start to even his record to 5-5. … This will be Gorzelanny's first start vs. the White Sox. … The White Sox are 5-9 when Buehrle starts despite nine quality starts by Buehrle, who has a 2-0 record and 1.80 ERA vs. the Pirates. … Michaels is 10-for-29 with two home runs and four RBI vs. Buehrle while Mientkiewicz has eight RBI.

Thursday: Phil Dumatrait (Pittsburgh) vs. Gavin Floyd (Chicago)
Dumatrait blew a 6-1 lead in his last, one in which he allowed five runs, five hits and five walks in five innings. … Floyd won his only start against the Pirates in 2006 as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Minor move

The Pirate sent down pitcher Bryan Bullington after Thursday's game and recalled Marino Salas from Class AAA Indianapolis.

Bullington, the No. 1 pick of the 2002 draft, was with the Pirates since May 29 but did not pitch.

Salas, acquired from Milwaukee in the Salomon Torres trade, made his major-league debut May 13 and earned his first big-league win. He was sent down May 29 when Bullington was recalled. Salas was 2-0 with a 2.93 with the Indians.

Pirates-Orioles: Here's what to look for

We're going to take a bit of a different turn with this series' "Here's what to look for." With very little recent history between the two clubs, the usual batter vs. pitcher matchups are pretty useless. So here are some random notes for the series:

Pitcher matchups: Friday – Phil Dumatrait (Pittsburgh) vs. Brian Burres (Baltimore); Saturday – Zach Duke (Pittsburgh) vs. Radhames Liz (Baltimore); Sunday – Paul Maholm (Pittsburgh) vs. Daniel Cabrera (Baltimore).

If the Pirates win Friday or take at least two of three games in the series, it will be the latest in a season they will have reached the .500 mark since Sept. 1, 1999 when they were 67-67. Pittsburgh went 11-16 the rest of the way and finished with a 78-83 record.

Friday's first pitch would have marked the first time the Pirates played in a meaningful game in Baltimore since Pat Kelly flew out to Pittsburgh's Omar Moreno on Oct. 17, 1979 to win the 1979 World Series.

Pittsburgh has a major-league worst 57-94 record entering interleague play. The Pirates are also 20-54 on the road in interleague play and were 5-10 last year.

What to do with LaRoche?

Adam LaRoche certainly has had his share of low points during his 1 1/2 years with the Pirates.

Wednesday, he might have hit rock bottom.

LaRoche left seven runners on base – SEVEN – in Wednesday's game. He leads the majors in strikeouts with runners in scoring position (26) and has only 18 RBI in 68 at bats with runners in scoring position.

Earlier in the homestand, a dejected LaRoche said he wasn't going to change his approach because he felt like he was getting good at bats and good swing, but the balls he hit were right at people.

There's already been a call to trade LaRoche, which is understandable but impractical because it would be the ultimate example of selling low.

Now benching him, for a considerable amount of time, that seems conceivable.

The Pirates have a capable replacement in Doug Mientkiewicz who could easily fill LaRoche's spot. He's just as good defensively as LaRoche – Mientkiewicz is a former Gold Glove winner. And while he doesn't have LaRoche's power (though we rarely get to see any examples of that anyway), Mientkiewicz is having a better year at the plate and is a more consistent hitter.

Mientkiewicz should see a lot of playing time over the next two weeks because of his familiarity with the American League (the Pirates play 15 straight interleague games). He, not LaRoche, deserves the bulk of the playing time and, if he performs, should continue to play first when the Pirates get back to their National League schedule as well.