Welcome back, Pedro.

The Pirates recalled Pedro Alvarez today, just as I predicted in a post on Saturday (1960).  Alvarez will finally move up to the 5th spot in the order, as also predicted (or begged for as the case may be).  Garrett Jones will bat 2nd in the lineup.  He has played four games in this spot before batting .250, but strikes out a little too much for my liking.  Normally Ronny Cedeno would get the call there, but with Alvarez batting 5th and Overbay 6th, the team would have had three left-handed batters in a row which they chose to avoid.  It is nice to see Pedro hitting higher up in the lineup which should be another confidence booster to go with his recent success in Indianapolis.

The Bucs had to place Alex Presley on the 15-day DL to make room for him.  Xavier Paul will assume the job in LF and the leadoff spot until either Jose Tabata or Presley returns from their injuries.  Tabata was recently shut down again with his ailment, making one wonder when he will return.  It has been amazing that the Pirates have been able to compete for the division with all the injuries and Overbay and Jones batting a combined .234 between them.