BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJORS : Zane Smith Might Sit Out Rest of ’92

If the Pittsburgh Pirates are to win a third consecutive National League East title, they will probably do it without left-handed starter Zane Smith.

Smith said Thursday he expects to undergo an operation to repair a torn muscle in his left shoulder and will probably miss the rest of the season.

“It looks like he’s going to be on the shelf,” Pirate Manager Jim Leyland said.

The Pirates are awaiting results of Smith’s CAT scan, but he is not optimistic.

“I think I’m done,” Smith said. “It’s disappointing, but what can I do?”

Pirate trainer Kent Biggerstaff said the team won’t know the complete results of Smith’s tests for three more days. He said preliminary results showed a fraying of a muscle around Smith’s left shoulder and inflammation in the shoulder joint.

“It’s too early to tell yet,” Biggerstaff said.

Smith, 8-8 with a 3.18 earned-run average, has been on the disabled list twice in the past two months because of what was described as tendinitis in his pitching shoulder. He has made only two starts since July 12.