The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed Zach Duke on the 15-day disabled list, according to Dejan Kovacevic. Duke missed his scheduled start yesterday, and apparently wasn’t on track to make the re-scheduled start on Saturday. Duke will miss two starts with what the Pirates are describing as a strained flexor pronator in his left elbow.
There is no word on a replacement for Duke in the rotation, and Kovacevic mentioned none is expected until tomorrow. Yesterday it was speculated that Charlie Morton, Brian Burres, Dana Eveland, or Daniel McCutchen could start in place of Duke on Saturday. Burres pitched today for Indianapolis, which takes him out of the mix. Morton is scheduled to pitch tomorrow, and McCutchen is scheduled on Saturday, so either one would be an option. Eveland hasn’t pitched since June 11th.
