Worth noting

By Tom Singer

April 2, 2014

• Their teammates have voted McCutchen, Russell Martin, Clint Barmes and Jason Grilli back onto manager Hurdle's Leadership Council, while Francisco Liriano has been chosen to replace A.J. Burnett as the starting pitchers' rep. The council meets twice monthly with Hurdle to discuss various team issues.

• When the Pirates find themselves in a must-win situation, they can always call on their best clutch performer, Petrina McCutchen, the center fielder's mom.

The Bucs are 3-0 in games following her rendition of the national anthem, most recently prior to the 1-0 walk-off win on Opening Day.

• That, incidentally, was the Bucs' sixth 1-0 victory in a season opener -- the fourth over the Cubs, following similar triumphs in 1947, 1949 and 1978. The Pirates also won 1-0 in 1902 over the Cardinals and in 1965 over the Giants.

• The Pirates' newly announced partnership with 84 Lumber Company, a leading supplier of building materials and services, is only fitting: The early '70s Bucs were nicknamed The Lumber Company, for the heavy bats they swung into postseasons, including to the 1971 World Series title.

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.