First number, last word

By Tom Singer and Steven Petrella

July 31, 2013

14: After their 6-0 blanking of the Cardinals on Tuesday night, the Pirates have 14 shutouts for the year, tied with the Indians for the most in baseball. The last time they had more than 14 was in 1992, when they made their last playoff appearance.

"All I've ever asked for on my birthday the last couple years is another birthday. So far so good. I can't remember the last time I spent a complete day at the ballpark and my team won two games. So, yeah. Fun." -- manager Clint Hurdle on his 56th birthday, which was Tuesday

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.