INTERLEAGUE Pirates' Benson says he's ready to face Cleveland

He is expected to return to the rotation Saturday after struggling of late.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Kris Benson threw without problems on the sidelines Tuesday, and said he's ready to return to the rotation Saturday against the Cleveland Indians.
Benson, who allowed 16 runs in his two most recent starts, missed a weekend start in Tampa Bay to work on his mechanics and make sure there was nothing wrong with his pitching shoulder.
Benson reported some minor discomfort in the front of his right shoulder following a 13-8 loss June 10 in Toronto, but now thinks that was because he wasn't releasing the ball properly.
"I've been opening up a little too much in my delivery and that put some strain on my shoulder," Benson said Tuesday. "I kept my delivery closed today and I could feel the difference."
Benson will throw off a mound today and, if there are no problems, will go back into the rotation this weekend.
"I feel fine, and that's the plan," he said.
Considered the ace
Benson, considered the Pirates' staff ace, is 5-7 with a 5.00 ERA and three losses in his last four decisions. He allowed a season-high eight runs in each of his last two starts, going 6 1/3 innings in losing 11-4 to the Red Sox on June 4 and only 2 1/3 innings against the Blue Jays last week.
The two poor performances came only a couple of weeks after manager Lloyd McClendon challenged Benson to start pitching like a No. 1 starter.
Benson's recent difficulties haven't been strictly because of mechanical or physical problems; he missed a sign to pitch around the Blue Jays' Carlos Delgado and gave up a three-run homer on the next pitch.
As a result, Benson is optimistic that skipping a start to work out his problems will help him return to being the pitcher he was late last season. He was 5-0 in his final seven starts, never allowing more than three earned runs in any start.
Downplaying talk
McClendon is downplaying talk that Benson's velocity has dropped significantly since then, a possible indicator of a physical problem. After returning last season from an 18-month layoff for reconstructive elbow surgery, Benson regularly threw in the mid-90 mph range.
"He's throwing 91-93 mph and touching 94 mph," McClendon said. "But it's not about velocity anyway. It's location, making the pitch when you need to make it and when you want to make it."
Benson has been hurt lately by repeatedly throwing breaking balls over the plate and not keeping his fastball down in the strike zone, but said he felt much better during his throwing session.
"I threw all my pitches," he said. "The touch on my pitches was 10 times better than it's been the last couple of times out."