--SS Jack Wilson swung a bat Sunday for the first time since going on the disabled list April 25 and said he felt no pain. 

The Pirates got one of their three injured regulars back Friday when center fielder Nate McLouth returned to the lineup after missing six games with a strained oblique muscle in his right side. 

The Pirates will face their nemesis Monday night when they open a two-game home series against Milwaukee. 

If Nate McLouth's first at-bat felt like dej? vu, it was because he faced the same circumstances a night earlier. 

Right-hander Johnny Cueto suffocated thePirates' offense Sunday, allowing just four singles in eight innings, as the Cincinnati Reds cruised to a 5-0 victory. 

Looking for a silver lining after suffering back-to-back shutouts to Milwaukee and Cincinnati,Pirates manager John Russell took a back-to-basics approach by emphasizing the importance of pitching and defense. 

? One of thePirates' injured starters is back in the lineup - and another one isn't far away. 

Call him Mr. 

Two singles to start the first inning, then an apparent Nate McLouth double play grounder. 

Nate McLouth's run-scoring single allowed Pittsburgh to stop a 22-inning scoreless streak in a span of only three batters and the Pirates held on to beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-6 on Saturday night as Ross Ohlendorf won his third in a row. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates didn't waste any time snapping a lengthy scoreless streak and eventually their four-game slide on Saturday. 

Were those actually ourPittsburghPirates near the top of the National League Central division this past week? Or was the team of the last 16 years lurking behind the scenes, waiting to make its gruesome reappearance? 

??? How they scored 

??? How they scored 

Pirates starter Jeff Karstens was fined an undisclosed amount of money by Major League Baseball for hitting the Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun with a pitch Monday at Miller Park, according to a team source, but Karstens will not be suspended.