Here are some evening updates after the Pirates game against the Tigers, with several injury notes, and a few positional notes.
**Jose Tabata left tonight’s game after fouling a ball off his ankle. He left the game during the at-bat, and was carted off the field mid-inning. After the game, Clint Hurdle said that he had X-rays, which came back negative, and that he had a left ankle contusion.
**Andrew McCutchen is still out of the lineup with what has been described as lower body soreness. Hurdle said he felt better today and went through a full workout.
“He’s making progress,” Hurdle said. McCutchen said last week that he would be playing right now if this was the regular season.
**Chris Stewart, who is dealing with a hamstring problem, has seen no progress yet in his recovery. “I wouldn’t say there’s any progress right now. We’re probably in a holding pattern,” Hurdle said.
**Switching over to non-injury news, Jung-ho Kang will get some time at second base before the weekend. Kang has already played shortstop and third base, and now the Pirates will get him work at the final position. Hurdle has said from day one that they feel Kang can be an option off the bench this year at all three positions.
**Casey Sadler pitched an inning in relief tonight, five days after getting hit around as a starter for the first time this Spring. Hurdle said that Sadler wasn’t being moved to the bullpen yet.
“He’s still being prepared as a starter,” Hurdle said. “We’re just running out of innings and opportunity for some guys at this level.”
With that last note, you can probably expect some cuts from the pitching staff to come soon.
