Contreras to DL, Morris back

This probably won't upset anybody. The inability to "bow his back" is being blamed for Contreras' inability to throw strikes against the Tigers yesterday. He wasn't pitching well before yesterday and now heads to the DL with an ERA of 9.00 and WHIP of 2.60. Maybe Clint Hurdle is thinking about what might have happened if Contreras had let him know about the back problems before costing the Pirates the game but, hey, the reason for having veterans around is to show the younger players how to play the game.

Anyway, this DL trip hopefully will give the Pirates a chance to give Contreras another rehab stint. He's trying to pitch in the majors following Tommy John surgery after throwing just seven innings in the minors. It's not realistic to expect that he'd be ready to face major league hitters after so little recovery time.