May 15, 2003 3 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Former Gold Glove second baseman Pokey Reese will be lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates until at least mid-July with a torn ligament in his left thumb. Reese was injured sliding Tuesday night against Houston – coincidentally, as a pinch runner after not starting the game because of a lengthy slump. Reese is hitting .215 with one homer and 12 RBIs in 37 games.

Reese will have surgery Thursday at Pittsburgh’s Allegheny General Hospital to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament and will be out nine-to-12 weeks. He was placed on the disabled list, but the Pirates did not immediately replace him on their 25-man roster.

“It’s a tremendous blow to us, but the fact is we have to get it done,” manager Lloyd McClendon said Wednesday. “We can’t cry in our beer, so to speak, but losing him is tough.”

McClendon said the light-hitting Abraham Nunez, who is batting .217, will get most of the playing time until Reese returns.

Reese’s left hand will be in a cast for four weeks and in a splint for a few weeks after that. He had the same injury in his right thumb in 1998 and missed the final two months of the season.

“It’s going to be a long process. It’s real disappointing,” Reese said. “We’re playing bad right now, I’m playing bad and then this happens.”

The injury couldn’t have come at a much worse time for the Pirates, who went into Wednesday night’s game against the Astros a season-low nine games below .500 after losing 10 of 11.

It is their second extended slump this season; the Pirates began the season 5-1 but later lost 12 of 15 to slide below .500 and raise doubts about McClendon’s status. The Pirates have lost 21 of 29 since April 11.

“We’ve had a tough seven-to-10 days, but like I told my guys, there comes a time you have stand up and be counted,” McClendon said. “You have to kick some rear ends every now and then. We’re at that point. We have to stand up and stand for something and I think we’re certainly capable of doing that. I’m not going to let seven-to-10 days define our season.”

The injury is the second to a key Pirates regular this season. Left fielder Brian Giles, their leading run producer the last four seasons, returned only last week after missing nearly a month with a sprained knee.

Reese, who turns 30 on June 10, is the most experienced Pirates infielder and their best fielder, though he has six errors, only two fewer than he had last season. He won Gold Gloves with the Reds in 1999 and 2000.

The Pirates signed Reese to a $5 million, two-year contract last year that includes a club option for 2004, and he responded by hitting .264 with four homers and 50 RBIs. The year before, he hit a career-low .224 with 40 RBIs in his fifth and final season with Cincinnati.

Before getting hurt, Reese was 4-for-29 in his previous 13 games and had not made an error in 15 games. He also was 6-for-6 in steal attempts.

The injury leaves utilityman Rob Mackowiak as Pittsburgh’s only backup infielder. They recently signed longtime major leaguer Jeff Reboulet, who is 39, to a minor league contract.