Third baseman Pedro Alvarez has been recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis and will be in tonight’s starting lineup versus the Houston Astros (if the game is played). Alvarez will start at third base over Josh Harrison and bat seventh.
Alvarez is among four players the team has recalled: The others pitchers Jeff Locke, Aaron Thompson and Daniel Moskos. The Indians season ended yesterday.
Locke is the most intriguing of the three pitchers. Acquired in the Nate McLouth-Charlie Morton trade, the 23 year old lefty went 1-2 with a 2.22 ERA in five starts with Indianapolis. Locke spent most of the season with Double-A Altoona, going 7-8 with a 4.22 ERA in 22 starts.
The Pirates late last week decided that outfielder Gorky’s Hernandez and first baseman Matt Hague will not be September callups. With the Pirates intending to roll out the red carpet for Derrek Lee who they hope to resign, there is no playing time for Hague.
In other news, pitchers Paul Maholm and Kevin Correia have both been placed on the 60-day DL.
Maholm is 6-14 with a 3.66 ERA. Maholm was awful in the second half of the season, going 0-5 with a 5.75 ERA in seven starts after the All-Star break. Correia, one of the Pirates three All-Star representatives, went 12-11 with a 4.79 ERA in his first season with the Pirates.
Overall it has been an up and down season for Correia, who went 1-4 with a 7.23 ERA following the All-Star break, after going 11-7 before the mid-summer classic.