Worth noting

• Right fielder Travis Snider hasn't played in a game yet this spring and wasn't listed in Saturday's starting lineup against the Rays. Hurdle said Snider, coming off offseason surgery to heal a serious toe injury, is healthy and the Pirates plan to work him in at designated hitter, possibly Sunday against the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla.

"We're just working him back," Hurdle said. "Figured we'd give it some time to get his feet underneath him."

• Right-hander Phil Irwin didn't pitch, as scheduled, after Cole and Jameson Taillon in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Blue Jays. Hurdle acknowledged after the game that Irwin was held out, but wasn't sure why.

• Overall, Hurdle was pleased with the Pirates' pitching Friday afternoon. Left-hander Andy Oliver walked three batters and allowed a run in the fifth inning, but those were the Bucs' only three walks on the day.

"As a group, we commanded the zone pretty well. The inning got away from Andy a little bit," Hurdle said. "It goes back to [Friday being their] first outing. I don't overcook the first outing. They need to get out there. They need to reacquaint themselves with adrenaline, mound rhythm, all that."

• Major League Baseball and USA Baseball announced on Friday that the seventh annual Breakthrough Series will expand in 2014 to showcase approximately 200 players in four locations, one of which is Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. This year's Breakthrough Series, run by the MLB Scouting Bureau, will be held from July 19-28 and expose a diverse group of top high school players to professional scouts and college recruiters.