The Bucs will use a designated hitter in Detroit and were down a bat after demoting Alex Presley to AAA Indianapolis and recalling pitcher Evan Meek.

The Pirates have now sent Meek back to Indianapolis to make room for Hernandez.

Gorkys is hitting  .266/.343/.355 in 124 AAA at bats this year.

The 24-year-old righty was acquired from Atlanta in the Nate McLouth trade three seasons ago, which also netted the Pirates tonight’s starter, Charlie Morton.

Hernandez is a notable defender, so he won’t be used as the DH this series. If he’s in the lineup, the Pirates will want his glove in the outfield.

His first at bat this weekend will be his first in the major leagues.

Prior to the 2009 season, Hernandez was ranked the #62 prospect in the minors.

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The Bucs are coming off a 5-3 victory against the Washington Nationals and back-to-back split two-game series against the Nats and the Miami Marlins.

Andrew McCutchen led the way with a two home run night, while James McDonald struck out 11 batters in 5.2 innings. J-Mac had a no-hitter going through five innings, but was lit up for four hits and three runs in the sixth.

Tonight, the Pirates will send righty Charlie Morton (2-3, 4.05) out to face 2011 AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander (4-1, 2.47). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.

This series won’t be a walk in the park. I wouldn’t even be surprised if the Pirates lost all three games this weekend despite the teams’ identical records.

The Bucs will need to inject some magic into their anemic bats to put anything on the board tonight against Verlander, and a lineup featuring Miguel Cabrera and our old friend Prince Fielder will put runs on the board.

Overall, Detroit is fifth in the AL in hitting and eighth in both runs scored and home runs, while the Pirates rank last in the majors in runs and hits and 23rd in home runs.

The Tigers are struggling a bit right now, though. They just lost their two-game series with the lowly Minnesota Twins and are 4-7 in their last 11 games. Maybe the Pirates can steal a game or two this weekend be a game under .500 when they return home on Monday to face the New York Mets.

Tomorrow at 4:05 PM, A.J. Burnett (1-2, 5.12) gets the rock against Drew Smyly (1-0, 2.31).

Burnett has thrown eight innings and allowed two runs in each of his past two starts, the only ones removing him from that atrocious 12-run 2.2 inning mess in early May.

Sunday, we’ll see Kevin Correia (1-4, 4.5o) battle Detroit’s Max Scherzer (2-3, 6.26).

Or, we may not. Correia has been bad to say the least this season. Brad Lincoln was solid when he started for Erik Bedard on Monday. There has been talk about removing Correia from the rotation and that seems like the best way to go at this point. Hopefully Lincoln will get the start, but for now Correia is the Probable Pitcher.

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Presley, 26, impressed after coming up as a late-season call-up in 2011. He finished the year with a .298 average, four home runs and nine stolen bases in 52 games. He also had a decent OPS of .804, hinting that perhaps Presley was ready to join the Major League club full-time as a top of the order hitter.

The lefty got off to a nice start this year with hits in 17 of his first 19 games and a 12-game hit streak from mid to late April. On April 28, Presley’s batting average sat at .303.

Less than a month later, that number is .220. Presley has just three hits in all of May. He has 26 hits on the year with 30 strikeouts.

Presley had been splitting his spot in the outfield with Nate McLouth and Yamaico Navarro.

The Pirates offense has been struggling mightily, and that surely can’t be helped by making McLouth and Navarro near-everyday outfielders. Hopefully Presley can find his swing in AAA and make a return to Pittsburgh soon.

The right-hander Meek will replace Presley on the 25-man roster. He was originally optioned to Indianapolis on April 30 after racking up a 5.59 ERA in nine appearances in Pittsburgh. He’s made four scoreless appearances for Indianapolis.

This all brings forward the burning question of when the Pirates will call up outfield prospect Starling Marte, he of the ridiculous 2012 Spring Training.

Some will be surprised when they find out Marte is only batting .261/.323/.437 in 131 plate appearances in AAA this year. He missed a few games this week after taking a pitch off the hand.

While few expected Marte to replicate his spring success in Indianapolis, most expected the 23-year-old’s average to be above the .300 mark, not borderlining Garrett Jones territory.

I don’t think Marte is ready yet. He’s clearly not hitting AAA pitching like we want him to. Feeding him to major league pitching wouldn’t be a great idea, especially if his confidence level is anything less than full.

The Pirates will likely leave Meek up with the big club for this series with the Nationals, but could make a move to bring up another hitter for the weekend series in Detroit, where the team will need a designated hitter.

I don’t expect to see Marte up this weekend. Matt Hague seems the more likely choice to come up and get some major league at bats.

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The Bucs took two of three from the Houston Astros (15-19) in their last series, including a 12-inning walk-off victory last night.

Tonight, Brad Lincoln will make the spot start with Erik Bedard  scratched after experiencing back spasms after an inning in his last outing.

Lincoln has been nothing short of phenomenal out of the big league bullpen, allowing just one run over 14.1 innings pitched. Opponents are batting just .180 off him. In two AAA starts, Lincoln had a 2.25 ERA this season, giving up 10 hits and no walks in 12 innings while striking out nine.

On the mound tonight for Miami will be Anibal Sanchez. Sanchez has gotten off to a great 2012 with a nifty 2.02 ERA in 40.1 innings (six starts). He’s struck out over a batter per inning and has only allowed two home runs and 31 hits on the year. His seven-year career ERA sits at 3.62 with a 1.351 WHIP, so he’s pitching much better than he has to this point in his career.

The season will tell if the 28-year-old is finally hitting his prime and becoming one of the best pitchers in the game as he was projected to become when he was ranked the number 40 prospect in the minor leagues prior to the 2006 season, or if he’s simply on a hot streak and bound to come back to earth sometime.

Tomorrow, we’ll watch Kevin Correia try and keep up with Miami’s Josh Johnson.

Correia is notably better on the road than he is at PNC Park, and that’s no secret. This season, Correia has a 2.25 road ERA compared to 4.50 at home, each over three starts. All five home runs off Correia this year have come at PNC. Hopefully he’ll continue that trend and have a nice outing tomorrow.

Johnson hasn’t been his old self so far this year. The now-28-year-old was stellar in 2010, with a 2.30 ERA and 9.1 K/9 ratio over 28 starts. After only making nine (dominant) starts in 2011 due to inflammation in his pitching shoulder, Johnson’s ERA sits at 5.87 through seven starts in 2012. His K/BB ratio is closer to 2 than 4 as it was in 2010, and his K/BB ratio is down to 7.5.

Johnson is one of the best pitchers in the game, and it’d be a shame to see the injury have this effect on the rest of his career. Hopefully he’s just getting back into pitching shape after missing about 8 months.

A start against the anemic Pirates offense could be just what the doctor ordered to get Johnson back on track.

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The Penguins defeated Dany Sabourin and the Hershey Bears – who had won two of the last three Calder Cups – in five games in the opening round of the playoffs, but couldn’t get past the IceCaps in round two. Aaron Gagnon had two goals for the IceCaps tonight, including the unassisted game-winner early in the third period.

Penguins forward Colin McDonald recorded seven goals and 14 points in 13 postseason games. He tied Jason Williams (3-11-14) for the team lead in points.

Winger Eric Tangradi had four goals and 12 points in 11 games, while the organization’s top defenseman prospect Simon Despres recorded two points, two penalty minutes and a +2 rating in 11 games.

Goaltender Brad Thiessen was average for the most part, allowing 30 goals in 12 games. He could vie for the backup gig in Pittsburgh next season, though it’s more likely the Penguins look outside the organization for help at that level.

We should see Despres in the NHL next season for sure. He’ll be 21 by the time camp rolls around, and I can’t help but be excited about his NHL future.

Tangradi will get yet another shot to make the team out of camp. He’ll be 23 and doesn’t turn 24 until next January, but many feel his window of opportunity in Pittsburgh may be coming to a close. He looked better in his late season stint in Pittsburgh than he did earlier in the year, but he really needs to pull it all together if he wants to be a career top six NHLer.

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Bedard struck out 11 batters in five innings last time out and has 20 total whiffs in his last 10 innings. He’s also finally getting some run support from the Pirates offense, as he’s won his last two games after dropping his first four despite not having given up more than two runs in an outing thus far.

Here’s the rest of the Pirates’ lineup for tonight:

1. Jose Tabata, RF

2. Neil Walker, 2B

3. Andrew McCutchen, CF

4. Pedro Alvarez, 3B

5. Casey McGehee, 1B

6. Yamaico Navarro, LF

7. Rod Barajas, C

8. Josh Harrison, SS

Washington will look like this:

1. Ian Desmond, SS

2. Bryce Harper, CF

3. Ryan Zimmerman, 3B

4. Adam LaRoche, 1B

5. Xavier Nady, RF

6. Danny Espinosa, 2B

7. Tyler Moore, LF

8. Wilson Ramos, C

The Bucs won in dramatic fashion last night, thanks to a nice outing from A.J. Burnett and a walk-off home run from Barajas.

The team has rotated wins and losses over the six games, but a victory tonight would win the series for Pittsburgh – a notable feat against the NL East leaders.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.

Let’s Go Bucs.

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Plenty of storylines resulted from last night’s game, but I’ll start with center fielder Andrew McCutchen, who hit his first home run of the year tonight off Nationals starter Edwin Jackson.

McCutchen has been dealing with a stomach virus and has only played sparingly over the past few days. He went 1-2 with two walks and the solo shot tonight. Seems likes he’s feeling better. Hopefully he can pick up the power and build upon his .302 season average.

The starting pitching matchup was actually an overlooked storyline itself.

Over the winter, the Pirates expressed interest in then-free agent Jackson, going so far as to offer Jackson a three-year contract to play in Pittsburgh. Pirates bloggers and fans even started an #EJaxToBucs campaign/hashtag on Twitter, showing their desire for the 28-year-old to come and pitch for the Pirates.

Jackson ultimately turned down the deal to take a one-year contract to pitch for the Nationals, and so the Pirates turned to Plan B: A.J. Burnett.

The Bucs would acquire Burnett in a trade with the New York Yankees and, as fate would have it, the two faced off in PNC Park last night.

It’s hard to declare a winner of the duel. Jackson went 7 innings, giving up two runs (both home runs) on three hits. He walked one but struck out a measly five batters.

Burnett lasted 8 innings and also allowed two runs. He allowed twice as many hits (6) and also walked one, but struck out twice as many batters (10).

A.J.’s outing was also a nice bounce back from the 12 runs in 2.1 innings he allowed last time out.

The final and biggest storylines of the night came as the ballgame drew to a close.

Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan entered the game with a one-run lead in the ninth inning, only to allow a single to Ryan Zimmerman and a subsequent home run – the 1,000th in Nationals history – to the red-hot Adam LaRoche. Manager Clint Hurdle yanked the generally reliable Hanrahan after recording two outs and brought in lefty Tony Watson, who got the third out of the inning.

Down a run and likely some spirit in the bottom of the ninth, Casey McGehee flew out to lead off the inning. Alex Presley singled in his pinch hit at bat before Yamaico Navarro struck out swinging to bring up catcher Rod Barajas with one out remaining in the game.

To that point, Barajas was hitting .133 on the season with exactly zero home runs or RBI. His OBP sat at just .200. Despite Presley swiping second and third base on back-to-back wild pitches from Nationals closer Henry Rodriguez, the PNC Park crowd of about 1,000 had likely – and understandably – given up most hope with the game in Barajas’ hands.

Inevitably, the last predicted outcome came out. Barajas pulled a ball over the left field wall and trotted the bases with his teammates waiting for him at home.

A walk-off win thanks to A.J. Burnett, a blown save from Joel Hanrahan, and Rod Barajas. Such a phrase was considered unthinkable a mere 24 hours ago.

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Obligatory Bryce Harper update: the rookie phenom went 1-for-4 tonight while batting second.

Things didn’t start off well for the lefty, as he gave up two runs in the first and needed 55 pitches to get through the first two innings.

After that, though, Bedard flipped a switch. He would last just five innings but didn’t allow another run and struck out 11 batters in the end, including an astounding seven in a row at one point – a Pirates record.

He threw 104 pitches on the day and is now 2-4 with a 2.65 ERA. He’s certainly been the rotation’s best pitcher to this point, with 20 strikeouts in his last two outings. He also hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his six starts this season.

After Bedard, Jared Hughes, Juan Cruz, Jason Grilli and Joel Hanrahan each pitched one inning. Each of them struck out at least one batter and Hanrahan is the only one who allowed a run. In the end, the Pirates pitchers had 17 strikeouts, which tied another team record.

The Bucs put up six runs today, thanks to another bomb by white-hot Pedro Alvarez. Pedro has collected hits in his last six games, eight of his last nine games, nine of his last 11 games and in 10 of his last 13. He also has five home runs in his last nine games.

He’s now second in the NL in home runs, behind only the great Matt Kemp.

El Toro es en fuego.

Andrew McCutchen left today’s game in the 4th inning due to a stomach virus after he was given yesterday off. Hopefully that goes away soon.

Side note: One great thing about baseball is that – unlike hockey – teams rarely lie about injuries. McCutchen honestly probably just has the stomach flu. A “stomach virus” in hockey can mean anything from a twisted ankle to a concussion.

Here’s how the rest of the offense looked:

Jose Tabata also stole a base in the fourth inning. The right fielder has an eight-game hit streak going.

The Pirates open their home series with the Cincinnati Reds tomorrow evening.

It’s Free Shirt Friday at PNC Park, but be careful if you’re attending the game – Mike Leake will be in the vicinity as he gets the start for the Reds.

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Tonight, off-season acquisition A.J. Burnett got shellacked for 12 earned runs on 12 hits in just 2.2 innings. He only walked one batter and struck out two, but the Cardinals were simply hitting everything he threw.

Carlos Beltran led the way with two home runs and two more hits in five at bats and set a career high with 7 RBI. Here’s how the rest of St. Louis looked:

Rafael Furcal also stole a base.

In the second inning of the game, Rod Barajas and manager Clint Hurdle were ejected by home plate umpire Angel Campos. Barajas was tossed for arguing a called ball and Hurdle was given the boot for defending his player and confronting Campos.

You can watch the incident here.

On offense, Pedro Alvarez continues to lead the way for the Pirates. He collected two more hits and a walk in three at bats and raised his season batting average to .242. He was tied for the most home runs (4) in the MLB over the seven days prior to tonight’s game.

Alvarez scored all three of Pittsburgh’s runs thanks to a Clint Barmes double and two Josh Harrison singles. Pedro also did not strike out today, but had an error on a throw to first base.

Andrew McCutchen was given the night off.

The Pirates got 6.1 innings’ worth of scoreless bullpen appearances from Brad Lincoln, Chris Resop, Juan Cruz and Jason Grilli.

The Bucs finish their series with the Cardinals tomorrow at 1:45 PM. A loss would mark the second time this season the Pirates have been swept, while a win would make the second time this year the Pirates take one of three from St. Louis.

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The Bucs almost doubled that, actually, crossing nine runners over the plate before being retired 27 times.

Pedro Alvarez again led the way offensively with a two-run home run in the fourth inning off starter Mike Minor. It was Alvarez’s fifth homer of the season, one more than he had all last season (and two more than Jose Bautista and Albert Pujols have combined for this year).

Alvarez has five home runs, four doubles and three singles on the year and a ridiculous .333 ISO. He leads the Pirates in home runs, RBI (9) and extra base hits (9).

Yamaico Navarro also hit a home run in the sixth inning with a runner on base. Neil Walker recorded three singles in five at bats, while Casey McGehee and Jose Tabata each doubled for their only hits on the night.

Every Pirates starter had a hit today aside from pitcher James McDonald.

McDonald was impressive with the ball in his hand, though. The righty lasted 7.2 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out a career high 10 batters.

The Pirates split the series with the Braves and are now tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for third in the NL Central, four games behind the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Bucs will meet the Cardinals in St. Louis tomorrow night at 8:15 PM for the first of their three-game series.

Charlie Morton, A.J. Burnett and Erik Bedard are scheduled to start for the Pirates in the series in that order.

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