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First number, last word

By Tom Singer

26-52: The Pirates' record in National League West cities, since 2008, going into the opener of the three-game series in Phoenix against the D-backs.

"Platoon him? No way. One swing of his bat can change the dynamic of a game. Like a lot of us, he has more work to do. But he's going to have to cut his teeth up here." -- Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, on Pedro Alvarez and his struggles against left-handed pitching.

Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog Change for a Nickel. He can also be found on Twitter @Tom_Singer.
Read More: Pittsburgh Pirates, A.J. Burnett, Starling Marte, Neil Walker, Wandy Rodriguez, Jeff Locke, Pedro Alvarez, James McDonald, John McDonald