Pittsburgh’s Top Starter Sidelined

Francisco Cordova, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ most reliable starter in his first full season in the rotation, was put on the 15-day disabled list Saturday because of inflammation in his right elbow.

The decision on Cordova (9-7, 3.41 ERA) came two days after he displayed uncharacteristic wildness and erratic velocity in a 9-4 loss to San Diego.

Cordova gave up six runs on six hits and walked four in 3 1/3 innings, his second shortest appearance of the season. His fastball ranged from 86 mph to 92 mph and seemed to vary erratically from pitch to pitch, an indicator he was pitching in pain.

“He’s had this on and off for about a month now, so we’re just going to give him a couple of weeks off,” Pirate Manager Gene Lamont said. “I just think his arm’s tired and his elbow is bothering him a little.”

To replace Cordova on the 25-man roster, left-hander Chris Peters was recalled from triple-A Calgary and is expected to start the second game of Monday’s doubleheader against the Dodgers.

Cordova’s injury breaks up the five-man rotation the Pirates have used since opening day. Cordova, Jon Lieber, Steve Cooke, Esteban Loiaza and Jason Schmidt have each made at least 25 starts, with the Pirates needing a sixth starter only once--right-hander Jose Silva for the second game of a doubleheader July 27 in San Francisco.