"Gil Meche will test his "dead arm" today in a throwing workout before deciding whether to make his scheduled start Wednesday against Minnesota.

"I won't know anything until (today)," he said. "Am I concerned? Wouldn't you be? I was throwing 87-88 miles an hour (on Friday). So, yeah, I'm concerned."

Meche lasted just five innings Friday and showed diminished velocity in a 5-3 loss to the Pirates and complained afterward of "not feeling great." It was his second straight disappointing start since a shutout June 16 against Arizona.

"It depends on how he feels in a couple of days," manager Trey Hillman said. "He says he felt a little dead in his last start."

Meche said he didn't believe the problem was connected to throwing a career-high 132 pitches against the Diamondbacks.

If Meche can't pitch, the likely alternative is Sidney Ponson, who has made three rehab starts at Class AAA Omaha while recovering from a strained elbow. Ponson's last outing was Friday, which would enable him to pitch Wednesday on normal rest.

Fatigue factor

Miguel Olivo's streak of catching Zack Greinke, which began last September, ended at 17 games Sunday when Hillman opted to start Brayan Peña.

Hillman cited fatigue as the reason for Olivo's spot on the bench while dismissing the suggestion the move stemmed from concerns over a possible carry-over effect from Olivo's ejection Saturday night for arguing a check-swing strike with umpire Phil Cuzzi.

"It was a badly needed day off, in my opinion," Hillman said. "We don't have any days off until the All-Star break. I don't care how tough and resilient and big and strong guys are, there are occasions when they need days off.

Greinke was 11-3 with a 1.68 ERA in his 17-game run with Olivo as catcher."