Marte, Alvarez avoid serious injuries

DENVER -- They were two injuries that, if serious enough, could have derailed the Pirates' dream season.

But Pirates manager Clint Hurdle delivered good news on third baseman Pedro Alvarez and outfielder Starling Marte, both of whom sustained left hand injuries in Saturday night's loss to the Rockies.

Marte had a new and larger bandage around his left hand before Sunday's game and did not start, but Hurdle said he could be available for the series finale against the Rockies. Marte took a 91-mph heater from reliever Josh Outman in the top of the seventh inning off his left hand and crumpled to the dirt in pain before leaving the game.

"We have a day off tomorrow, and then there wasn't anything screaming at us that he's hurt and going to be out a while at this point," Hurdle said.

"The scan we got last night showed no fracture; we'll have our doctors look at it today. I know his legs are OK. Whether he can grip the glove, we're going to find out. ... We're on the mindset that we're going to be able to have a better read after today."

Alvarez said he swung a bat Sunday morning without issue, and he was in the lineup for Sunday's game. He injured his glove hand in the bottom of the sixth Saturday when Rockies center fielder Dexter Fowler tried to slide into third, Fowler's spikes punching the ball from Alvarez's glove and forcing the glove off his hand.

Alvarez lacerated his left index finger on the play but experienced nothing debilitating, Hurdle more than aware that he had escaped a dangerous situation.

"Within a real short period of time, you got two of your major participants that initially looked like there could be complications," Hurdle said. "Pedro's [injury was] not probably as bad as I anticipated when I walked out there, just because of seeing the reaction of what could have happened."