Pittsburgh, PA (My Sportsbook) - Pittsburgh Pirates righthander Kris Benson is expected to miss his scheduled start Tuesday against the Houston Astros.

Benson insists that he will not pitch due to soreness in his shoulder, but Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon produced a conflicting reason. McClendon pointed toward Benson's recent struggles and faulty mechanics as reason to temporarily shut him down.

This is the second time this season that the 28-year-old Benson will have his scheduled start pushed back. He got roughed up during a June 10 outing against Toronto and missed his next start against Tampa Bay.

Benson did not fare much better in his next outing following the extended break, giving up five runs and seven hits in five innings on June 21 against Cleveland. He did, however, give the Pirates three solid outings following that ineffective outing.

In his fourth year in the majors, Benson came into the season with high hopes. The Pirates penciled him in as their No. 1 starter, but he has not performed up to that level. Benson is just 5-9 with a 4.97 earned run average in 18 starts this season.

Salomon Torres is expected to take Benson's turn in the rotation on Tuesday. The righthander is 5-2 with a 4.42 ERA this season.