First number, last word

By Tom Singer and Steven Petrella

June 1, 2013

2.38: The current Pirates 12-man pitching staff's ERA for the month of May. Officially, the staff figure for May was 2.51 -- even that being the Majors' lowest -- but that includes Jose Contreras, who is on the DL.

"He's as athletic a catcher as I've ever had, and as athletic as anyone in the league. Some of those stops ... it's NHL-style hockey, with the leg saves." -- Hurdle, on Russell Martin.

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. Steven Petrella is an associate reporter for MLB.com.