Duke to miss Tuesday start

Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

Zach Duke will no longer pitch on Tuesday after suffering some elbow stiffness during his last start. According to manager John Russell, Duke felt some discomfort in the muscle close to his elbow during the fourth or fifth inning on Wednesday.

With the off day on Monday allowing the rest of the rotation to still pitch on normal four days of rest, the Pirates wanted to be extra cautious and skip Duke’s spot the next time through. The left-hander will throw a side session on Wednesday. The injury is not believed to be serious, and the club is not considering a DL stint at this point.

“Right now, everything looks good for him,” Russell said. “Could he have made his start? Probably, but it’s just nothing we want to mess with. We think it was just a mild strain. He should be fine.”

Duke is 3-8 with a 5.49 ERA in 14 starts this season.

Follow me on Twitter: @LangoschMLB