PITTSBURGH - Any worries that Maikel Franco's wrist injury was severe were relieved on Sunday when the third baseman entered as a substitute in the fifth inning of a 5-4 loss to the Pirates.
Franco replaced Andres Blanco after Blanco suffered a fractured left index finger when a baserunner slid into his gloved hand. Franco was out of the starting lineup on Saturday and Sunday after leaving Friday's game when a fastball whacked his left wrist. He said it was the same exact place where a fastball fractured his wrist last season and cost him 45 games.
Franco batted twice and hit a single in the eighth inning.