Worth noting

• Pirates players will wear Penguins jerseys while they travel to Milwaukee this weekend and Detroit next week to support their fellow Steel City athletes, who lead the Ottawa Senators 2-1 in the second round of the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"It's hard to beat playoff hockey," Hurdle said. "It's one of the most wonderful times of the year, and our team is in."

Hurdle said he doesn't know whose jersey he will wear, but a reporter suggested he should dig out a throwback -- Bill Guerin's No. 13 -- for the trip.

• Neil Walker was a career 0-for-9 against Cubs starter Matt Garza entering Tuesday, but Hurdle wanted to get him out there one more time to "test those numbers."

• The Pirates have six shutouts this season, the third most in baseball. It took them 108 games to reach that mark in 2012.

• The Pirates began a stretch of 16 games in 16 days Tuesday night.

• Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage was not with the team Tuesday night because of a personal matter. He may not be available Wednesday, either.

Bullpen coach Euclides Rojas will handle the pitchers in his place.

Third base coach Nick Leyva is also absent because of the death of his father. Rick Sofield is coaching third, and Dave Jauss is manning first.