"Hunter Pence came to the ballpark Tuesday with more elbow soreness, and Brad Mills' expectation of writing Pence's name into the lineup went unfulfilled.

Instead, Pence missed a fourth straight game with a left elbow strain and will likely sit out today's series finale against the Rangers as well, targeting a Friday return.

"I'm not able to swing," said Pence, who refrained from swinging at all on Tuesday. "It's close, very close, but I'm not ready."

The initial prognosis pegged Pence as questionable for this entire series in his hometown, and while he didn't expressly give up on playing today, he admitted the doctors might have had the timetable right for his return."