CINCINNATI -- There will be no no-no for CC.

At least not against the Pirates Sunday.

Yesterday, Major League Baseball's Scoring Review Committee upheld official scorer Bob Webb's "hit" ruling on Andy LaRoche's roller in the fifth inning that Milwaukee left-hander CC Sabathia picked up, then dropped.

The Brewers contended strongly the play should have been ruled an error, which would have given Sabathia a no-hitter.

The MLB committee yesterday studied a DVD of the play submitted by the Brewers. The committee decided that Webb's judgment was not "clearly erroneous," which is the standard set forth in Official Scoring Rule 10.01 (a). Thus, the call did not meet the criteria for MLB reversal.

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Minor-league report

Wednesday's results

STATE COLLEGE (17-54) beat Auburn, 5-4. LHP Rudy Owens (3-6, 4.97) allowed four runs and five hits in four innings. 3B Matt Payne (.276) went 3 for 4 with an RBI. 2B Adendson Chourio (.167) went 2 for 5 with an RBI and two steals.

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"Bob Webb is a 20-year veteran scorer who is held in high regard," said Phyllis Merhige, MLB's senior vice president for club relations. "This play is a reminder of the difficult decisions official scorers face."

"I'm gratified by the decision made by Major League Baseball," Webb said last night. "And I'm appreciative of their generous comments made about me personally.

"I remain respectful of the opinions of those people who had another opinion about how the play should be scored."

Alvarez a Pirate soon?

Frank Coonelly yesterday said he thinks Pedro Alvarez will join the Pirates organization relatively soon.

"I believe that Alvarez will be a Pirate and in the very near future," the Pirates' president said in his monthly chat with fans on the team's Web site.

The future of Alvarez, the Vanderbilt third baseman whom the Pirates took with the second overall pick in the June draft, currently is tied to a grievance filed by the major league players union against Major League Baseball alleging improprieties in the Aug. 15 signing deadline.

A hearing before an arbitrator is scheduled for Wednesday.

"We believe that the arbitrator will conclude [Major League Baseball] acted appropriately," Coonelly said. "Even if the arbitrator concludes that [MLB] exceeded its authority, however, we do not believe that the arbitrator could void our contract with Alvarez. Under no circumstance, could Alvarez be granted free agency."

Alvarez is represented by agent Scott Boras. Coonelly was asked if the Alvarez imbroglio would cause the Pirates to pass on a Boras player in future drafts.

His answer was succinct: "No."

Sanchez returns to lineup

Second baseman Freddy Sanchez was back in the lineup last night after undergoing a Magnetic Resonance Imaging test on his right shoulder Tuesday in Pittsburgh.

"There's still some irritation, but nothing out of the ordinary," manager John Russell said.

Sanchez had planned to have the MRI after the season ended, but he pushed up the date so he could have "peace of mind for the last month" of the season.

"We'll monitor him," Russell said. "If it gets a little ouchy, we'll probably sit him for a couple days. We do have other options now. It flares up when he makes those long relay throws."

Coach Tony Beasley is working with Sanchez on his footwork and arm angle on relay throws.

"We just need to get him in better position to take some heat off his shoulder," Russell said.

Bixler, Cruz step in

Shortstop Jack Wilson, out with a bruised right index finger, probably won't play until tomorrow night in San Francisco at the earliest.

His absence gives Russell a chance to look at other players at shortstop, most notably Brian Bixler and Luis Cruz.

"We really did like a lot of things we saw [from Cruz] in spring training," Russell said "There's the possibility of him being a really strong utility candidate [for 2009]. When you're looking at a utility guy, shortstop's a big part of that."

Pitching record set

Ross Ohlendorf helped the Pirates set a team record last night. He became the 26th pitcher to work in a game for the team this season. The previous high was 25 in 1996 and 2007.