NEW YORK -- So much for that Corey Dickerson trade, right?
We'll see, of course, but the Pirates' starting left fielder and leadoff man exited their 6-3 loss to the Mets in the third inning Friday night at Citi Field because of an injury to his left groin. There was no immediate word of its severity or any potential timetable for a return.
How was he hurt?
That wasn't clear, but he had to go a long way to track down two fly balls in the early going, then could be seen wincing in pain after flying out in the third. He was replaced in the bottom half by Melky Cabrera.
"I don't know," Clint Hurdle replied when asked to describe what happened. "He had to come out. It felt like maybe the play in left field kind of aggravated something. And then through the next at-bat, he didn't feel comfortable."
Dickerson left the clubhouse just as reporters were allowed to enter.
Most pressing issue: What will it mean?
Major League Baseball's trade deadline is July 31, a mere handful of days away. If Dickerson goes onto the 10-day injury list, there's virtually no chance of a trade. And even if he doesn't, his season's now tagged with another ominous asterisk for a potential buyer, given that he's already missed two full months -- April 4-June 7 -- because of a lingering shoulder ailment.
He'd just been coming around, too. Earlier in the day, Clint Hurdle placed Dickerson atop his order, a season first, in what he acknowledged was an attempt to bring a "different look, different energy" to a team in a 2-12 free fall following the All-Star break.
"He's been in a good place swinging the bat," Hurdle said of Dickerson reaching safely in his previous seven games, going 10 for 22 with five doubles. Since coming off the IL June 8, he'd batted .327 with 17 doubles and 18 RBIs. "He's hit leadoff for us before, though not this year. He's hit second a number of times. We moved a couple other guys around, as well, just to get a fresh look at some of the hitters."
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