MILWAUKEE, Aug. 13 (UPI) — The Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday placed first baseman Derrek Lee on the 15-day disabled list due to a fractured left wrist.

The Pirates acquired the veteran slugger from the Baltimore Orioles at last month’s trade deadline. He sustained the injury when he was hit on the wrist Aug. 3 by the Chicago Cubs’ Carlos Marmol.

Lee was able to play two games after missing four contests following the injury, but a decision to shelve him was made following batting practice Friday in Milwaukee before a game with the Brewers.

Lee appeared in just five games for the Pirates, hitting a pair of homers in his first contest with the club but compiling just three hits after that. He is hitting .247 with 14 homers and 47 runs batted in 90 overall games this year.

The Pirates recalled infielder Josh Harrison from Class AAA Indianapolis to fill the roster spot.

In a selection that was six days overdue, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen(notes) was named to the National League All-Star team on Saturday night. Manager Bruce Bochy made it official, tabbing him as the replacement for Miwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun(notes), who pulled out due to a lingering issue with his left calf that has cost him seven straight games.

During the fourth inning of Pittsburgh’s 6-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs, McCutchen’s All-Star selection was announced to the PNC Park crowd via the video scoreboard. Within seconds, the 39,235 in attendance erupted into a thunderous applause, interrupting the at-bat of Friday’s hero, Michael McKenry(notes).

After McKenry doubled, the roar only grew louder, forcing McCutchen to step out of the dugout and acknowledge the fans with a wave.

Watch Pittsburgh salute its All-Star

McCutchen was given another warm reception when he stepped up to bat in the fifth. After the game, he spoke about what the experience meant to him:

“They told me a couple innings before that,” McCutchen said. “That was great to see (the fans) show their support. It showed they’re behind me. It showed me that, even before they found out, I was an All-Star to them, and that’s a good feeling.”

I love to hear that and I really enjoyed watching this moment play out for everybody involved. It was nice for McCutchen, who certainly deserves the honor bestowed upon him. And it’s also good to see a baseball city that has been for waiting 20 years to be excited about something, really embracing the team and appreciating every little moment of what could be a very special season for their franchise.

Good for Andrew McCutchen. And good for the entire city of Pittsburgh.

Related: Andrew McCutchen, Ryan Braun, Michael McKenry, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates

PITTSBURGH (AP)—The Pittsburgh Pirates designated reliever Jose Ascanio(notes)
for assignment and recalled left-hander Tony Watson on Tuesday.

Ascanio had a 7.11 ERA in eight games, allowing 10 hits in 6 1-3 innings in
his first action in the majors since 2009. Acquired from the Chicago Cubs in a
trade July 30, 2009, Ascanio missed all of last season following right shoulder
surgery.

The 26-year-old Watson had a 2.45 ERA, 29 strikeouts in 29 1-3 innings and
had limited opponents to a .179 average in 22 games for Triple-A Indianapolis.
He was Pittsburgh’s ninth-round pick in the 2007 draft.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has oft stated his preference for having two
left-handers available in the bullpen. Watson joins rookie Daniel Moskos(notes).
Veteran Joe Beimel(notes) is on the disabled list.

Read More: Brad Hawpe (1B – SDP), San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs

Here’s the order for the 2011 MLB Draft, which begins Monday. Our heroes, the Pittsburgh Pirates, will pick first, and will likely use the top pick to select UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole. After that comes the Mariners, Diamondbacks, Orioles and Royals.

After that, the Pirates will have to wait for the Tampa Bay Rays to pick approximately 82 times before the Bucs are up again with overall pick No. 61. (They have three first-round picks, then seven compensation-round picks.) Due to Major League Baseball’s absurd method of award compensation picks for departing free agents, the Rays got themselves compensated for ridiculously unimportant free agents like Brad Hawpe, and they’ll now get to fill their farm system with high-upside arms. Good for the Rays for gaming the system, but MLB needs to fix the system so it can’t be so easily gamed.

The Rays, naturally, pick three more times in the second round before the Pirates come up again, but this time, at least, there aren’t any additional comp picks added to the round, so the Bucs’ third selection will be at No. 91.

Here’s the top 10:

1. Pirates

2. Mariners

3. Diamondbacks

4. Orioles

5. Royals

6. Nationals

7. Diamondbacks (compensation for unsigned draft pick)

8. Indians

9. Cubs

10. Padres (compensation for unsigned draft pick)

(For complete Pirates coverage, see Piratesreport.com.)

PITTSBURGH – The drastic improvement of the Pirates rotation isn’t the story of the first third of the season. At this rate, it may be the story of the century.

The starters have a combined 3.53 earned run average, a silly 1.75 earned runs per game better than last season. National League starters have a 4.07 ERA as a whole, the same as it was last season, so the hike isn’t artificial, either.

After last season, when the rotation had a league-worst 5.28 ERA, it couldn’t help but get better, the theory went. Yet nobody expected it to improve this much, this soon. Not only that, but the group is pretty much the same one that finished last season, as Kevin Correia is the only new member.

Can the starters maintain this pace for the rest of the season? Maybe, probably not. I mean, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Phab Phive have a comparable ERA at more than five times the cost for godsakes. Still, pitching coach Ray Searage deserves a gold star at the very least.

At the start of the day, here was the breakdown of National League starters’ ERAs last season and this season and the difference between them:

1. Pirates 5.28 3.53 +1.75

2. Atlanta Braves 3.80 3.15 +0.65

3. Los Angeles Dodgers 3.99 3.64 + 0.35

4. San Francisco Giants 3.54 3.19 +0.35

5. Washington Nationals 4.61 4.27 +0.34

6. Milwaukee Brewers 4.65 4.33 +0.32

7. Florida Marlins 4.14 3.93 +0.21

8. Philadelphia Phillies 3.55 3.39 +0.16

9. Arizona Diamondbacks 4.39 4.27 +0.12

10. San Diego Padres 3.73 3.88 -0.15

11. Colorado Rockies 4.21 4.39 -0.18

12. St. Louis Cardinals 3.50 3.78 -0.28

13. New York Mets 3.80 4.19 -0.39

14. Houston Astros 3.90 4.62 -0.72

15. Cincinnati Reds 4.05 4.88 -0.83

16. Chicago Cubs 4.00 5.60 -1.60

Pittsburgh (KDKA)- The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently dealing with two injuries which will result in those players being placed on the disabled list.

Often-injured Steve Pearce has been placed on the 15-day DL with an injured calf.

Pearce was injured in Saturday’s 10-0 win, but it’s still unsure which played led to his injury.

To take his spot on the 25-man roster, the Pirates have recalled infielder Josh Harrison from AAA Indianapolis.

Harrison was acquired by the Pirates in the John Grabow/Tom Gorzelanny trade.

This year at Indy, Harrison was hitting .331 with eight doubles, two triples and two homers in 141 at-bats.

Harrison’s .331 average isn’t a fluke because he’s a lifetime .308 hitter.

Harrison is very much a contact hitter considering he’s only struck out 142 times in 1,564 lifetime minor league at-bats.

The team is also expected to place catcher Ryan Doumit on the disabled list. That move will officially come later this morning.

Doumit injured his left ankle trying to block the plate with Chicago’s Carlos Pena attempting to score on a sac fly.

The team will recall Dusty Brown from AAA Indianapolis.

Brown, who was hitting .264 with 6 homers, was splitting time with Jason Jaramillo.

On Saturday, the Pirates placed lefty Joe Beimel on the disabled list because of left elbow soreness.

Before the Pirates officially recall Harrison and Brown, they’ll need to open two spots on the 40-man roster.

Two possibilities are to move Ross Ohlendorf to the 60-day DL from the 15-day DL and to DFA reliever Chris Leroux.