When the main reporter on the Pirates' official site starts posting stuff like this, that's when you know things are getting weird.
Ciriaco was scratched from Indianapolis’ lineup shortly before Friday’s game. Those who inquired about a reason were told that Ciriaco had been slacking in drills and that a ball was hit toward him to catch his attention. The ball, as the story went, struck Ciriaco and he tweaked something in his leg. Ciriaco backed up the story, and the injury was discussed at length by Indianapolis’ two broadcasters during the game.
On Saturday morning, Ciriaco was on a flight to Pittsburgh. And that injury from Friday night, well there never was one. The truth — which was that Ciriaco was held out in case he was needed in Pittsburgh — slipped out on Saturday morning, much to the surprise of all sorts of folks who had believed the injury story.