SAN DIEGO - Reliever Salomon Torres still had not rejoined the Pirates yesterday, two days after manager Jim Tracy wanted him back.

Torres was granted a leave Sunday to fly to Pittsburgh and be with his wife, Belkis, for the birth of their third child Tuesday. Tracy's order to Torres was to fly across the country Wednesday in time for the final two games of this four-game series with the San Diego Padres, but Torres told the team yesterday he would meet the team today in Chicago.

Torres had said Monday night that he planned to be a "good soldier" and follow Tracy's orders. It was not immediately clear if that changed or if circumstances at home changed, because Torres was unavailable for comment yesterday.

The Pirates' other player in that situation, shortstop Jack Wilson, left the team early yesterday morning - a few hours earlier than scheduled - because his wife, Julie, went into labor in a California hospital the day before she was supposed to be induced. A daughter, Jersi, was born.

Tracy has ordered Wilson to meet the team Sunday in Chicago, even though the Pirates are off the next day and he could have spent the full weekend with his family. Players generally are given three days of paternity leave, though there is no such requirement.

Wilson had left open the possibility that he will not report Sunday in Chicago, depending on how the birth went.

Pressure from outside

The Pirates, like every team facing contenders down the stretch, feels pressure from the outside - other teams and Major League Baseball offices - to field their best lineups and preserve the integrity of the pennant races.

That, Tracy told Torres and Wilson, was his reason for wanting them back so quickly.

Consider the reaction earlier in the week when the Houston Astros replaced Roy Oswalt and Woody Williams in their rotation with two rookies while facing the Milwaukee Brewers, the team the Chicago Cubs are dueling for the Central Division lead: Houston management called Cubs general manager Jim Hendry and the commissioner's office to explain the move.

That, apparently, was not good enough for some of the Cubs, even though Oswalt was being granted a paternity leave. Williams was removed only because the Astros wanted to see more of rookie Felipe Paulino.

"That ticks us off," Cubs outfielder Cliff Floyd told Chicago reporters. "You can't help family situations. Oswalt is having a kid. God bless him and his family. ... I don't understand the Woody Williams deal. It's their team, and they can do what they want to do. At the same time, you'd like everybody to play their guys."

Tracy said of the matter, "We'll give the Cubs the best we've got," adding that he set up his rotation to be all left-handed for the weekend partly because Chicago is 16-22 against left-handers.

Buried treasure

Although starter Ian Snell described his arm as "sore" upon removing himself after seven innings Wednesday night, he remains in line to make his next start Tuesday at PNC Park.

Nyjer Morgan has led off the past two games with a triple, making him the first member of the Pirates to do so since Omar Moreno April 30-May 1, 1980. No National League player had done it in the past five seasons.

San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman's 40th save gave him nine seasons with that many, extending his Major League Baseball record.