The Pirates today placed starter Phil Dumatrait on the 15-day disabled list, because of rotator cuff tendinitis in his left shoulder, and promoted reliever T.J. Beam from Class AAA Indianapolis.

Dumatrait had been the rotation's best until the past two starts, in which he was charged with 14 earned runs. That includes his most recent outing, Thursday in Chicago, when the White Sox scored nine runs in four-plus innings as part of a 13-8 rout. Overall, he is 3-4 with a 4.66 ERA.

Word late last night was that Dumatrait's shoulder trouble had been mounting in recent weeks.

Dumatrait's next scheduled start had been Wednesday against the New York Yankees. Zach Duke and Paul Maholm, who had been set for Thursday for Friday, each will be pushed up a day. The Pirates are off tomorrow.

Beam, 27, has been Indianapolis' best reliever of late, having allowed just three earned runs in 22 1/3 innings over his past 16 appearances. Overall, he has a 2.02 ERA in 26 appearances, and his opponents have been held to a .202 average. He has 39 strikeouts and 14 walks.

Beam was signed as a minor league free agent Dec. 22. He spent 20 games with the Yankees in 2006, posting an 8.50 ERA in 20 appearances, but spent all of last season with the Yankees' Class AAA affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. His career minor league ERA was 2.71.

To clear space on the 40-man roster for Beam, the Pirates moved center fielder Chris Duffy, now on a rehabilitation stint with Class AA Altoona, from the 15-day to the 60-day. That will not affect when he can return, as he already has passed the 60-day mark.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.