"It took 10 days, two X-Rays, an MRI and a CT scan, but the Pirates finally got to the bottom of what was causing first baseman Derrek Lee so much pain in his left hand.

The good news is the CT scan revealed a fractured bone in his left wrist, which means it can, at last, be treated. The bad news is Lee was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 10, and might be out until the end of the month.

Most likely he will miss the Pirates' important stretch of games against National League Central Division foes Milwaukee, St. Louis and Cincinnati.

"The hard part is, it was so confusing to us along the way, with all the technology we had, we went through an X-Ray twice, an MRI and a CT scan to get the information we needed," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "We finally got the objective picture to match the subjective remarks of the player. He could feel something wasn't right."

Lee has been limited since Aug. 3 when he was hit by a pitch by Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Marmol . He had complained of pain in his left hand and struggled to grip a bat properly since, but he played two games this week against San Francisco, but he experienced pain again Wednesday."