Worth noting

• Grilli was not available Wednesday after he threw 34 pitches Tuesday, Hurdle said. Grilli may not be available Thursday afternoon, either.

• Travis Snider was the first Pirates pinch-hitter to hit a go-ahead, bases-loaded home run since Kevin Young on Aug. 31, 1999.

• Entering Wednesday, Andrew McCutchen was a career .324 hitter against the Cubs. He had reached base safely in 55 of his 60 games against Chicago.

• On this day 45 years ago, Willie Stargell hit three home runs at Wrigley Field against the Cubs. He set a franchise record for total bases in a game with 15, a mark that has not been broken.

• West Virginia Power infielder Stetson Allie had two home runs Tuesday night, leaving him with nine RBIs in his last four games. Allie was drafted as a pitcher by the Pirates in the second round of the 2010 Draft, but he struggled mightily on the mound in 2011 before being converted to a position player. He ranks second in the Class A South Atlantic League with 12 home runs.