Cleanup spot bad news for Alvarez: Pirates manager Clint Hurdle opted to hold struggling hitters Pedro Alvarez and Jose Tabata out of the starting lineup Wednesday against the Mets. Coupled with an off day on Thursday, Hurdle hopes this is the rest both starters need. "Maybe that combination will help them get their legs back under them," Hurdle said. (Updated 05/23/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/24/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Hurdle might learn a valuable lesson to not mess with success because Alvarez has been terrible since moving into the cleanup spot on May 5. He's mired in a 7-for-54 slump, which has followed a 12-game run that saw Alvarez bat .395 with five homers and 13 RBI. Alvarez has had most of his success batting fifth or sixth, so perhaps Hurdle will consider moving him down the lineup again to help break him out of this slump. Alvarez is back to being a low-end Fantasy option until he heats up again. (Updated 05/23/2012).
05/22/2012 21:59 Mets back dominant Dickey vs. Bucs
Lucas Duda smacked a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the eighth in support of starter R.A. Dickey and the New York Mets edged the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 on Tuesday night.
05/20/2012 19:47 Hit Parade for Week 8
Some catchers have been bitten by the injury bug in recent days, leaving some owners scrambling. Our Scott White shares some recommendations and helps set your lineups for Week 8 in his Hit Parade.
05/20/2012 16:15 Scherzer K's 15 as Tigers rally by Bucs
Max Scherzer struck out 15 -- the most by a Detroit pitcher in 40 years -- and the Tigers rallied for him with three runs in the seventh inning to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 on Sunday.
05/18/2012 21:53 Verlander's near no-hitter carries Tigers
Justin Verlander came within two outs of his third career no-hitter, allowing only Josh Harrison's ninth-inning single in the Detroit Tigers' 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.
Pedro Alvalrez showed some solid potential during his call-up in 2010 but regressed severely last season -- both with the glove and bat. He hit 16 homers with 64 RBI in 347 at-bats in his first year in the majors, but batted just .191 with four home runs and 19 RBI in 235 at-bats in the majors last season. The Pirates tried everything to get him back on track, including demoting him to the minors twice, but nothing seemed to work. Eventually they had to take him off the field because he was a liability on both offense and defense. The former No. 2 overall pick will have to show something during spring training if he plans on keeping his job at the hot corner as Pittsburgh brought in Casey McGehee this offseason to compete with Alvarez. The 24-year-old has the potential to be a solid option in Fantasy, but given his down 2011 campaign, leave Alvarez for deeper Fantasy formats on Draft Day. (Updated 1/12/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
