Worth noting

By Tom Singer and Stephen Pianovich

June 9, 2014

• Monday night's game was the Pirates' 62nd since their only shutout of the season -- the Opening Day 1-0 victory in 10 innings over the Cubs. At 62, it would match the Bucs' longest stretch without a shutout in five years, from April 21-June 29, 2009.

• Former Pirates reliever Brad Lincoln is the reigning International League Pitcher of the Week, with Lehigh-Valley, the Phillies' affiliate.

• Entering this series with the Cubs, the Pirates had a record of 13-7 in the opening games of series, including wins in the last five.

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. Stephen Pianovich is an associate reporter for MLB.com.