Through my window, looks like a beautiful day in Pittsburgh. Looks aren’t deceiving. But neither do they come with a thermometer.

A couple of cold nights at the yard don’t figure to light a fire under those Pirates bats. It may be coincidental, but it occurred to me the other day that they’ve played in only two warm-weather spots all year: Florida, where they were the top hitting team for most of the Grapefruit League season, and Phoenix, where they took a series from the D-backs.

So, yeah baby, it’s (still) cold outside. 

Tomorrow’s doubleheader will be the earliest in Pittsburgh since April 23, 1978, when the Bucs swept the Cardinals at Three Rivers. It’ll be the Bucs’ earliest twin-bill on the baseball calendar since an April 20, 1983 DH in Shea Stadium; the Bucs were swept in that one.

The only previous PNC Park April doubleheader? April 28, 2002, a split with the Padres.

Twin-bills, of course, are no longer scheduled and result from postponements. With balanced schedules including only one inter-divisional visits, host teams must immediately double-up to make up any weather casualties. Thus that ’02 twin-bill and tomorrow’s with a pair of West Division clubs.

PHOENIX — Jeff Karstens on Wednesday was placed on the 15-day DL by the Pirates, who recalled right-hander Bran Lincoln from Indianapolis to take his place on the roster and in the rotation.

Karstens had departed his start here Tuesday night after one inning, suffering from inflammation in his right, pitching shoulder. He is returning to Pittsburgh with the club following the Wednesday matinee here, but the Pirates did not await results of his examination by team doctors before making the move.

Lincoln had entered Spring Training as a candidate for the rotation after making eight 2011 starts with the Pirates, going 2-3 with a 4.72 ERA in them. In two starts this season for the Triple-A Indians, he has a 2.25 ERA, with no walks and nine strikeouts in 12 innings.

The Bucs’ 2006 No. 1 Draft choice (fourth overall selection) could be only a placeholder for A.J. Burnett, who is scheduled to make one more rehab start — on Saturday with Class-AA Altoona — before coming off the DL for his debut with the Pirates.

A.J. Burnett could be less than two weeks away from joining the Pirates’ rotation — putting him right on target for the early end of the 8-to-12 week recovery window he’d been given following his March 2 surgery.

Burnett is due to join the club tonight in time to take in the game against the D-backs in Chase Field, fresh off his rocky but start Monday night in Indianapolis.

The plan is for Burnett to be examined by the team’s medical staff, travel back East with the Bucs and throw a side under pitching coach Ray Searage’s watch, make one more rehab start on Saturday with Class-AA Altoona — then hook up with the Pirates.

Manager Clint Hurdle said he hasn’t been even “penciled” into the rotation yet. The scenario will be re-visited following that fourth, and final, rehab start.

This is definitely an odd situation for the Pirates. whose last need would appear to be rotation help. The five current starters have been nails, yet to allow more than three runs in any of their starts. And, of course, Burnett’s arrival would have to mean the exclusion of a current starter.

The original design was for a starter to be moved to the bullpen – -someone like Jeff Karstens or Kevin Correia — but the current Pirates relievers have been even more effective than the starters.

Sounds like GM Neal Huntington faces some big decisions, with Hurdle’s input. A trade is very much possible — several Major League teams have already suffered key losses to their bullpens and loom as logical trade partners.

In what is certain to be an unpopular move among the team’s fans, the Pirates cleared roster room for right-hander Charlie Morton by optioning infielder Matt Hague to Class AAA Indianapolis.

An infielder was certain to surrender his spot on the 25-man roster to Morton — who is coming off the DL to fasce the Giants tonight — but the likelier choice appeared to be either Josh Harrison or Yamaico Navarro. Third baseman Pedro Alvarez, struggling with 10 strikeouts in 16 at-bats compared to only one hit, also seemed more likely to go than Hague.

In his first week as a Major Leaguer, Hague was 1-for-9, with two strikeouts.

Trying to get their teams out of an offensive slumps, some managers might tinker with their lineups.

Not Clint Hurdle. He blew up his for tonight’s game against the Dodgers.

Josh Harrison (at second), Yamaico Navarro (in left) and Michael McKenry (catching) are all in there against Los Angeles lefty Chris Capuano. McKenry has started once, but it will be the first start for the other two. Among them, the trio brings a total of six at-bats into the game.

The shakeup is understandable, considering the Bucs have scored an MLB-low nine runs in their first five games.

The mutual starts of Harrison and Navarro are also intriguing because they could be playing off for a roster spot once Charlie Morton is activated, as expected, in time to start Saturday’s game in San Francisco.

That said, it is curious that Alex Presley, who has started every game — opposing lefty or righty — and hit in each has to sit to accomodate Navarro in left.

Nate McLouth, easily the most multitasking outfielder in the Majors, is getting his first start of the season tonight, replacing Jose Tabata in right field against the Dodgers and right-hander Chad Billingsley.

McLouth enters the game with only one at-bat off the bench, but manager Clint Hurdle’s commitment to keep his reserves fresh made it inevitable that he would soon break into the starting lineup.

“McLouth has to play also. He’s a guy who can flex against Billingsley,” Hurdle said. “It gave Tabata chance to come out and get in some work early.”

McLouth enters the game lifetime 4-for-13 off Billingsley.

“I know my job is to be ready when I’m called on,” McLouth said.

The once-again Pirate is not only the team’s fourth outfielder, but also its fifth and sixth outfielder. Although Josh Harrison and Yamaico Navarro could both be used in a corner in a pinch, the Bucs unusually are carrying only four outfielders.

PITTSBURGH — This was a crowd that came to cheer. Opening Day fans at PNC Park couldn’t hold their voices during the always-patriotic, sometimes solemn ceremonies that set the stage for the beginning of the Pirates’ 126th season.

With United States Military representatives presenting the colors around second base and introduced Pirates and Phillies lined up on their respective baselines, the observations began with a video montage of all the former Pirates who have passed away since the last Opening Day, followed by a request for a moment of silence.

Instead, the fans almost immediately broke into a standing ovation of gratitude for those players who’d thrilled them in bygone years.

Thinking they had heard the final verse of 11-year-old Shane Treloar’s stunning rendition of America the Beautiful, the crowd broke into appreciative applause. But Shane was only catching his breath, and continued on to an even louder ovation.

Then members of the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Army Field Band Ensemble harmonized through a touching rendition of the National Anthem.

Grateful recognition of the military and of veterans culminated with Pittsburgh-native Jeremy Feldbusch delivering the ceremonial first pitch. Feldbusch lost his sight during his tour of duty in Iraq, when the Army Ranger’s unit came under fire and an explosive detonated near him.

Feldbusch, representing the Wounded Warriors Project, still delivered a perfect strike to get a perfect day of baseball’s perennial rebirth underway.

Now it’s real.

Thus far, I’ve only been covering the Bradenton Pirates. 

But now, as I sit in the mid-morning press box at PNC Park, with the Pittsburgh skyline opening in front of me, this whole adventure becomes tangible. My whole life isn’t flashing in fornt of my eyes, just the Opening Day bits of it — like showing up in school with the ticket, which got you an excused absence from afternoon classes and down to Forbes Field.

Opening Day may be special everywhere — it should be special everywhere — but is extra special in a place like Pittsburgh. As I took an early-morning stroll around town, people greeted each other with, “Opening Day, huh?” Today, that takes the place of “Hi” or “Good morning.”

There is something extra in the air. A winter’s anticipation gives way to confirmation, that indeed a new season and new hopes have arrived. They’ll go through pre-game warmups — really, putting the finishing touches on a two-month warmup — ceremonies, on-field recognitions. They’ll line up on the foul lines, in black-and-gold and red, then the Pirates will charge the field, an umpire will bellow, “Play Ball!”

And we’ll climb aboard for a six-month magic carpet ride. Next stop? Who knows? But that, too, is part of the seduction, part of the tease. It is the magic.

The Pirates have finalized their 25-man roster, and it became a no-brainer, thanks to an ill-timed injury suffered by Chris Leroux during his outing in Tuesday night’s final exhibition

Leroux suffered a strain to his pectoral muscle while pitching an inning against the Phillies, forcing his placement on the 60-day DL. That opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for Juan Cruz, who won a bullpen job as a non-roster invitee, and on the 25-man for Jared Hughes.

Thus also making the club are all three of the men who went down the wire ostensibly fighting for two spots — Josh Harrison, Yamaico Navarro and Matt Hague.

To complete their pre-Opener homework, the Pirates also formally placed A.J. Burnett on the 15-day DL, retroactive to March 26, and Charlie Morton on the 15-day DL, retroactive to March 29. That makes Morton eligible to be activated on April 13; the Bucs’ first need for a No. 5 starter comes up April 15.

 

A.J. Burnett’s first real-game appearance of the spring on Sunday morning became an ideal 54-pitch outing.

Starting for AA-Altoona against AAA-Indianapolis at Pirate City, Burnett threw 36 strikes while allowing one hit in “four” innings.

A.J. was only scheduled to go three, but got through that so efficiently, in his final inning he stayed on the mound for the rare six-up, six-down inning.

As important, considering Burnett’s main curiosity about his first competitive outing was how he would react to plays, he got to handle one comebacker and to run to cover first on a grounder to the first baseman. He handled both plays perfectly, showing no delays in reacting to his first plays since being waylaid by a fractured eye-orbital bone that required surgery on March 2.

Burnett will next throw a side session on Tuesday, then make a rehab start with Bradenton on April 6, after which his comeback timetable will be re-evaluated.