UNIVERSITY PARK - The Pittsburgh Pirates announced today that Zach Duke will join the State College Spikes on Thursday for his fourth rehab start as he recovers from an elbow injury. The Spikes will take on the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland Indians) with game time set for 7:05 PM.
Duke last pitched for the Pirates on June 28th and has been on the comeback trail ever since. His first two rehab starts came on August 22 and 27th with the Bradenton Pirates as he tossed 6.2 innings of work, allowing only one run on five hits before moving to the Indianapolis Indians for his most recent start on Saturday. Prior to his injury, the southpaw was 3-7 in 17 starts for the Buccos. In 93.1 innings of work, he had allowed 60 earned runs for an ERA of 5.79.
Duke made his Major League debut in 2005 and had a phenomenal start to his career, going 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA in 14 starts after being promoted in early July. His first professional win came on July 7th, as the Buccos beat the Philadelphia Phillies by the score of 2-1. Duke tossed 7.0 shutout innings as the Pirates held on for a 2-1 win.
The Clifton, TX native was the Pirates 20th round selection in the 2001 MLB Draft out of Midway High School in Texas. His career started in the Gulf Coast League in 2002, where he posted an 8-1 record to lead the league. After bypassing the New York-Penn League, Duke pitched 2003 in Hickory before moving on to Lynchburg and Altoona in '04. With the Spikes' sister franchise in Altoona, the left-hander had a 1.58 ERA and 5-1 record in nine starts. Following that season he was recognized as the 34th-best prospect in the country by Baseball America.
Duke will be the first Major Leaguer to join the Spikes on a rehab assignment. Last season, Brendan Ryan rehabbed with the Spikes before moving back to the Memphis RedBirds for the final month of the season. This year Ryan has become a staple of the St. Louis Cardinals infield, filling in for the injured Scott Rolen and David Eckstein.
Great seats are still available for Thursday's game which is scheduled for 7:05 PM. Gates will open at 5:00 p.m. for Spikes Happy Hour featuring food and drink specials as well as live entertainment. Tickets can be purchased over the phone by calling 877-99-SPIKES, logging on to StateCollegeSpikes.com or in person at the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park box office.
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