Pirates Quietly Swept by Padres

It doesn't happen often. In fact, it hasn't happened since 1998. But the 12-year drought is over, as San Diego finished off a three-game sweep in Pittsburgh for the first time in over a decade. Irrelevant stats aside, the big story coming out of the weekend was the demotion of pitcher Brad Lincoln, who surrendered six runs on Sunday and raised his ERA to 6.57 in the Bucs' 6-3 loss to the Padres. It was a disappointing outcome at a time when the Pirates' young core finally started to look like it was coming together, at least on some level. In addition to the Lincoln move, the Buccos also designated reliever Brendan Donnelly for assignment, a move that didn't sound like it went over well in the clubhouse: "It amazed me," said Octavio Dotel, 36, signed in the offseason with Donnelly as back-end pitchers and private tutors. "He was the only leader ... that would step up and say stuff and not care [about teammates' feelings]," Evan Meek added...