Pirates starting pitcher Ross Ohlendorf (shoulder) is still not close to being ready to return from his DL stint, the Trib reports, despite throwing batting practice Friday:
↵↵↵"I'm not quite ready to make a rehab start like I wanted to be at this point," Ohlendorf said. The problem is a lack of endurance and arm strength. Ohlendorf's first set of pitches went fine, but pitching coach Ray Searage noticed Ohlendorf faded in the second set. "We're not there yet," Searage said. "The delivery is good; I like what I see there. I see consistency of arm slot and the head staying on target. But his strength is not consistent. That's normal." Ohlendorf will throw a bullpen session Sunday, then be re-evaluated.
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Ohlendorf will probably need at least a couple of rehab starts before he comes back, which probably puts his earliest likely return somewhere around the beginning of June. The rest of the Pirates' rotation has, however, performed pretty well in his absence.
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