Pittsburgh enters game action on Monday with one of the best pitching staff’s in the Majors.

The Pirates team ERA is ranked No.2 in all of baseball with a 3.15 ERA.  They trail only the Washington Nationals, who sport a 2.73 ERA.

After the bullpen’s 4.0 scoreless innings performance yesterday, they dropped their ‘pen ERA to just 2.61 –which is the fourth-lowest in the Majors behind Baltimore (2.13), Texas (2.24) and Cincinnati (2.50).

“I couldn’t be any more pleased with the pitching,” Hurdle said after the game yesterday. “Did you guys, did you have this from our pitching? The first 35 games of the season? Seriously. This is good stuff…I thought we’d be good. But what they’ve done so far 35 games in –that’s why we’re still sniffing and hanging around. I love what they’re doing off the mound.”

Right-hander Brad Lincoln will get the start tonight in Miami in place of lefty Erik Bedard, who was bumped to Wednesday due to back spasms. It will be his first start for Pittsburgh this season, and first since April 13 with Triple-A Indianapolis.

The righty has been scored upon just once with the Pirates –posting just an 0.63 ERA over seven outings (14.1 innings) from the bullpen. Lincoln has only been stretched out to 3.0 innings (twice). The most pitches (41) coming his last outing when Bedard was removed with the back spasms. Hurdle said he would keep an eye on Lincoln around the 60 pitch mark and go from there.

“I don’t know how many pitches he’s going to be capable of throwing,” Hurdle said. “To think he can throw 100? I don’t know. That’s a lot. We’ll see. We’re going to encourage him to keep pitching like he’s been pitching…“We’re going to encourage him to go as long as he can and we’ll figure it out from there…He’s a strong kid. I won’t put him a box right now. I think we’ll just watch as we go and start paying attention once we get north of 60.”

After the club used four relievers in the game yesterday, Hurdle said he was going to talk to General Manager Neal Huntington following the game to “assess the damage” in case they would need to make a move to bring up a fresh arm.  No moves were made, so it looks as if they feel okay with those available. Jason Grilli, Joel Hanrahan, Juan Cruz and Tony Watson all pitched an inning in relief yesterday.

Hurdle said after the game that he felt they could have pitched another seven innings from the ‘pen if they needed in the 12 inning win:

“We had plans going forward. We had [Chris] Resop, who could throw multiple innings…[ Jared] Hughes is still in play. We had Lincoln still in play, that’s why I didn’t hit him in [James] McDonald’s spot. He’s a much better hitter. But in an event we farther, I’ll take my starter tomorrow plus him in today if it ends up 18, 19, 20 innings. We’ve got volume. We probably could have covered another 7.0 innings.”

So it looks that tonight Hurdle can call upon Hughes and Resop for length.

Game tidbits from the extra inning affair:

• Hurdle on going 5-4 during the homestand:

“You look at the big picture. You try and take your emotions and you put them on the side. We had nine game sat home. You’d always like to win all of them. Until we put that package together — we’re pitching heavy like we are now, defense has showed up, the offense is still trying to find it’s way. Two days ago, I would have given up a small body part to go 5-4 the home stand. Here we are, we went 5-4. We won the last two series. I do see some encouraging signs on the offense. I always want to be optimistic, but realistic. There’s more there. We’ve got to put it in play more. We’ve got to cash in on opportunities.”

• During the game the Pirates used both their catchers and also Casey McGhee, who is their emergency catcher was out of the game, when Michael McKenry was hit by a pitch on the knee. He took a minute, but stayed in the game. Thankfully. It made an interesting question. Who would the Pirates have used if the Fort was injured? Hurdle laughed when he was asked who the fourth catcher would have been:

“That would have been –I can’t tell you that. I know who it would have been. We had one in place. And I did have one more first baseman if need be.”

• Clint Barmes played first base in yesterday’s game for the first time in his professional career. Rod Barajas, who he replaced at first, made his first appearance there since 2008. After the game, Barmes talked about his first experience on that side of the diamond:

“It was fun. It was exciting to get that opportunity. Just standing in a different spot, one that I’m not familiar with. I want to say unfortunately there was nothing hit where I had to cover first. In a way, I was that upset either.”

“Honestly, I felt pretty comfortable. I was on that side of the field playing second base for a few years. He just asked me if I had ever played first. I said, ‘No. But I’ll do whatever I need you to do skip.’ Rod got a base hit and they told me I was going to run for him if he did. Which meant, I was going to fill in at first. It was fun. It was exciting.”

 Pregame Notes:

• By the way – The Pirates have won their last six home games that went to extra-innings (since June 3, 2011). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it’s the longest current winning streak of its kind for any major-league team and it matches the longest such streak for the Pirates over the last 35 years (1978 to date).
• Pirates Lineup: Jose Tabata 9 Neil Walker 4 Andrew McCutchen 8 Pedro Alvarez 5 Casey McGehee 3 Alex Presley 7 Rod Barajas 2 Clint Barmes 6 Brad Lincoln 1
• Alex Presley returns to the lineup after not starting five of the past seven games. Presley has been working on regaining last seasons swing and has been going through a slump at the plate.
• Lefty prospect Justin Wilson was removed from his outing today due to tightness in his right groin.

Since being recalled on April 18, Lincoln has been very good from the bullpen. The righty has been scored upon just once with the Pirates –posting just an 0.63 ERA over seven outings (14.1 innings).

Lincoln is starting in place on Erik Bedard, who was bumped to Wednesday (back spasms).

“I don’t know how many pitches he’s going to be capable of throwing,” Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle said. “We’ve stretched him out to 50. To think he can throw 100? I don’t know. That’s a lot. We’ll see. We’re going to encourage him to keep pitching like he’s been pitching. And I don’t want to give him a number that you can go to this, because he might put a muffler on it and try and slow down and try to get to that number. I think one of the reasons he’s had success is he’s going out there with a mindset that I’m going to let it go, I’m going to let it rip. Which, whether that’s been right or wrong or in play before, whatever’s in play now –it’s the best we’ve seen him. The most consistent we’ve ever seen him. The sharpest stuff we’ve ever seen him.”

“We’re going to encourage him to go as long as he can and we’ll figure it out from there…He’s a strong kid. I won’t put him a box right now. I think we’ll just watch as we go and start paying attention once we get north of 60.”

Right-hander Jeff Karstens (right shoulder inflammation) will travel with the club and Hurdle said could pitch a sim game by the weekend.

“He’s got a couple side sessions in the bullpen lined up,” Hurdle said. “We might try on this road trip at some point in time –and I’m talking in grey areas because I need to — we might have a simulated BP before the weekend.”

Right-hander Chris Leroux was in street clothes and packing while in the clubhouse this morning. He told me that he’s heading out to Bradenton to continue rehab. Leroux said he is set to throw bullpens in the next couple days. Leroux (60-day DL) continues to progress back form a right pectoral muscle strain.

• As of right now, there has not yet been a corresponding roster move to activating Joel Hanrahan from the bereavement list. Both Hanrahan and Daniel McCutchen, who was recalled on Thursday in his place, were in the clubhouse this morning. Hurdle said on the roster move: “We’re still working through it.” Hanrahan is available from the ‘pen today.
• Pirates lineup: Jose Tabata 7, Neil Walker 4, Andrew McCutchen 8, Pedro Alvarez 5, Casey McGehee 3, Yamaico Navarro 9, Rod Barajas 2, Josh Harrison 6, A.J. Burnett 1
• In honor of Mother’s Day and Breast Cancer Awareness, all Major League Baseball teams will be sporting pink colored gear today. Ten Pirates players will be using pink Louisville Slugger bats. They include Rod Barajas, A.J. Burnett, Casey McGehee, Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata, Clint Barmes, Yamaico Navarro, Alex Presley, Andrew McCutchen and Nate McLouth. Josh Harrison and Neil Walker are expected to wear Under Armour shoes with pink features and all players will be wearing pink decal ribbons on the left chest of their uniform top.
• The Pirates have gone 15-6 when they have scored two runs or more in a game this season. They have, however, been held to one or zero runs in 12 of their first 33 contests.
• Right-hander A.J. Burnett will be making his fifth start of the season. Burnett was in line for the win but had a no-decision in Pittsburgh’s 5-4 walkoff win Tuesday vs. Washington. Burnett allowed two runs over 8.0 innings while recording 10 strikeouts in a game for the 20th time in his career.

The idea of bringing in a guy like Larish sparked thoughts of possibly bringing up a corner infielder to the Major League club today –especially considering the lack of offense this season and last night’s offensive woes. However, when I arrived to PNC Park this afternoon, it was the same guys in the clubhouse. That’s not to say that they won’t bring up a guy like Matt Hague or Jake Fox to help give a spark off the bench in the near future.

“I’ve seen him play in the past in a couple different organizations,” Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle said. “He’s going to add depth. He’s going to add a bat. He’s anxious for an opportunity and I feel like we’ve got one there to give him, get in play and see where he can take it. We’re excited about having him.”

Hurdle discussed  Larish’s role with Triple-A and how he fits down there. With Fox, Hague and Jeff Clement shuffling between first, third and DH, Dean Treanor may have his hands full getting them all playing time.

“I know we’ve got a number of guys of that ill,” Hurdle said. “Dean has done a wonderful job in the past to finding opportunities. One guy on the corner one day, the other guy the next day, DH opportunity to keep the bat in play. Time will tell, but that’s the position that we’re look gin at working at the corners and getting the bat involved.”

• Closer Joel Hanrahan, who is on bereavement  leave, Hurdle said is returning to Pittsburgh tonight. He will be available from the bullpen on Sunday. Which means, righty Daniel McCutchen will most likely be sent back to Triple-A Indianapolis. McCutchen has not yet been used from the ‘pen since taking Hanrahan’s spot.
• Right-hander Charlie Morton will get the nod tonight. After his last outing, Morton said he was going to have to make some tweaks to get his ‘bread and butter back’. Which, of course, is his sinker. Morton has been seeing split results this season on the mound.

“He’s put the work in, and this is the beauty of the game, you put that work in in between starts and now you try and transition out to a game,” Hurdle said. “I do believe that in Charlie’s case it’s going to be able his ability to repeat his delivery. To throw the power sinker and try not to pin point things, try and be too fine, aim for the middle, let the action of the movement let it take it where it needs to take it.”

• The Pirates failed to score a run in last night’s 1-0 loss to Houston, and has scored 0 or 1 run in 12 of their 32 games this season.

“The last thing you need to do when you have a game like last night on the offensive side is really grind on these guys,” Hurdle said. “They’re going to cut themselves up. They do it for a living. They feel the importance of not performing and not coming through so I try and find the other side of it…Let’s just hit it on the screws, let’s not think, bases clearing double in the gap. Lets think about hitting the ball hard. We’ve had some of that earlier where we were hitting some balls hard. Whether that adds to frustrating sometimes, then when we got guys on base, ‘I’ve got to hit it harder. Or just hit it so far that nobody could catch it.’”

Hurdle shared an interesting story when he was in Japan. They had a player over their at the time that was around 5’11″, 185 pounds and was a huge power hitter. Players asked, ‘How do you hit so many home runs? You’re so much smaller than the American players.’ He goes, “I just try and hit the ball over the wall. The Americans want to hit it out of the stadium.”

• Pirates lineup: Jose Tabata 9, Neil Walker 4, Andrew McCutchen 8, Pedro Alvarez 5, Casey McGehee 3, Yamaico Navarro 7, Clint Barmes 6, Michael McKenry 2, Charlie Morton 1
• Astros lineup: Jordan Schafer 8, Jed Lowrie 6, Jose Altuve 4, Carlos Lee 3, Brian Bogusevic 9, Justin Maxwell 7, Matt Downs 5, Chris Snyder 2, J.A. Happ 1

“”We plan on having that [conversation] after BP,” Hurdle said on whether he would be able to start Monday .”He’s in getting some treatment now. We’ll see what we can do, if we can move him around on the field and then go from there.”

Right-hander Jeff Karstens (right shoulder inflammation) continues to take steps forward. Yesterday afternoon Karstens threw a bullpen session.

“He’s progressing. He’s throwing,” Hurdle said. “He’s moved back his throwing program as far as distances back…We’re actually looking at a couple bullpens coming up. Get him in the bullpen and have him throw a sequence of pitches up there in the not to distant future.”

The Pirates lost 4-2 to the final game of the three-game set against the Nationals. The club faced arguably one of the best pitchers in the game right now right-hander Stephen Strasburg. But the proved that he was human. The club tacked two runs off him over his 6.0 inning outing and were only trailing the Nats 3-2 before the bullpens took over.

“You’ve got to beat one’s and two’s if you want to be a championship team,” Hurdle said. “It was a great question the other day, ‘Do we have a Championship team now?’. No, not today. Truth be told, you’re not a championship team until you’ve won a championship. Do we plan on having a championship team? Yes and even this season, I do. We plan on winning a championship. People are going to be looking at me going, ‘That guys an idiot.’ We’re good with that. Probably true in some cases. But for them to be disciplined you’ve got to beat ones and twos’ you cant say, ‘that’s a one or that’s a two.’ You’ll finish in third or fourth place with that mentality. You’ve got to find a way to beat those guys. You’ve got to find a way to compete against those guys. You’ve got to find a way to dig those wins out of the dirt.”

• Pirates lineup vs. Nationals: Jose Tabata 9 Nate McLouth 7 Andrew McCutchen 8 Pedro Alvarez 5 Neil Walker 4 Garrett Jones 3 Rod Barajas 2 Clint Barmes 6 James McDonald 1
• The Pirates have only won the first game of a series twice this season.

“Colorado and Washington,” Hurdle said. “We can count them on two fingers. We talked about it. We’ve identified what’s important. First inning runs are important. We haven’t scored a bunch of those this year either. We’re just trying to make sure we improve upon. We score first. You look at statistics over the years. Teams that score first more often than not, they fall your way. We need to continue to work competing better in the batters box…We know where the work needs to be done. We know that we need to find more consistency come game time. That’s what were looking forward to doing.”

• Right-hander James McDonald has posted a 1.86 ERA over his first three home starts this season. He’s whiffed 35 batters over his last three outings (31.0 innings).
• A lot of Pirates in the clubhouse today were wearing yellow cut off shirts that said, ‘Prepare for Domination.” The back had a black 34. The moto of right-hander A.J. Burnett.
• Pedro Alvarez has gone 0-for-15 with five walks since moving up to the cleanup spot. But despite still not getting that hit, Hurdle likes what’s he’s seen from his at-bats.

“I’m really looking forward to that hit in the four spot,” Hurdle said. “It’s not that he’s taking. It’s not that he’s swinging and chasing. He’s hit some balls, they’ve made a couple defensive plays. He’s squared balls up to the big part of the ballpark. He’s taking his walks. As far as I’m concerned, I am pleased with the way he’s approached his at-bats in the cleanup spot.”

“I don’t anticipate Lincoln being available tonight,” Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle said. “We’ll check [Jared] Hughes. The pitch count wasn’t extremely high. He might be able to give us something. Everyone else will be in play. We’ve got Danny McCutchen here, he’s pitched length. He was down in Triple-A. He could give us multiple innings if we need him.”

Hughes threw 30 pitches over his 2.0 scoreless frames last night, which included four strikeouts. He punchedout the side in his first inning of relief.

Closer Joel Hanrahan was placed on the Bereavement List this afternoon and righty Daniel McCutchen was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. If the Bucs are in a save situation, Hurdle said that both Juan Cruz or Jason Grilli could get the call.

“We’ll kind of look at the lineup,” Hurdle said. “We played it that way in the past. Depending on the matchups, maybe leverage in the lineup. It could be [Juan] Cruz or it could be [Jason] Grilli. Cruz has done it a couple times…We’ll just see how it plays out.”

• Pirates Lineup: Jose Tabata 9 Alex Presley 7 Andrew McCutchen 8 Pedro Alvarez 5 Neil Walker 4 Garrett Jones 3 Clint Barmes 6 Michael McKenry 2 Kevin Correia 1
• The Pirates are looking to complete their first sweep of the season after being the Nationals 5-4 and 4-2 in the first two games of the three-game set. It would mark their first sweep over the Nationals Franchise in Pittsburgh since 1999 when they were the Montreal Expos. Although, they have a tough challenge ahead of them. Righty Stephen Strasburg will be on the bump for the Nats.

“Our focus is to win the game tonight. As it has been the past two nights,” Hurdle said. “We’ve got some good competition in front of us. Nobody likes to get swept, and they are probably trying to put a foot down over there.”

For Hurdle, it will be the first time he will see the former No. 1 overall pick live. He said that he has seen video of him, but this

“I know he’s been very efficient. He’s been a tough competitor since he’s been in the league. He’s hard to square up. Command has been pretty good. It’s power stuff. He comes right at you…That’s a good arm. I’m looking forward to seeing it.”

• Andrew McCutchen is hitting .440 with six doubles, two triples, eight homers and 18 RBI over 20 career games against Washington. According to Elias, that is the highest batting average over the last four years for any play against any NL team with a minimum of 75 at-bats.
• Nationals Lineup: Ian Desmond 6 Roger Bernadina 7 Ryan Zimmerman 5 Adam LaRoche 3 Bryce Harper 9 Dany Espinosa 4 Rick Ankeil 8 Jesus Flores 2 Strasburg 1

“I just sent him a text today and asked him, ‘I thought they outlawed using the tee in the American League,’” Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle said. “I wasn’t aware until I came in after the game…I watched the replays. He’s on fire. The beautiful thing about it from a hitting perspective is those balls are being driven to the big part of the ballpark. That’s one thing that Josh had the ability to do when I was there and I had seen…He’s not a pull cautious man. When he lets that ball travel and use his hands, he’s so physically strong and gifted. When he gets into a streak, it changes games dramatically. Look at what he’s doing now.”

Before Hurdle became the skipper of the Pirates, he spent a season as the Rangers’ hitting coach in 2010. Texas won the American League Championship that season.

“It’s got to be very hard to do,” Hurdle said of Hamilton hitting four long balls in the game. “I can’t even imagine. A good day for me was four home runs in BP. That’s a whole lot swings. To square up Major League pitching? He’s one of the rare guys that I don’t think anything he did would really make you [go], ‘I can’t believe he just did that.’”

“My dad came into Texas and watched a series and he laid it out, ‘I have not seen a young man play the game like that since I saw Mickey Mantle in his prime.’ He can change the game at the plate. He can change the game in the outfield. He can change the game on the bases. The mans an excellent base runner with tremendous speed for a big man. And daring. He plays without caution.”

“It was an honor to be able to work with him for one season. He did make my job easier.”

The Pirates had a walkoff win on Tuesday at PNC Park. The team hit three home runs (Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones and Rod Barajas, who’s sealed the win) and also played small ball by hitting a sac fly in the 8th, which gave them go-ahead run at the time.

The mix of both power and speed is what Hurdle said today is what he envisions from the lineup.

“To get it in place it obviously opens up everybody’s comfort zone a little bit,” Hurdle said. “We’ve talked about running, swinging and running, hitting and running. All those things. To score with a sacrifice fly, where Neil was able to put a foot down get maybe got out front with his body, but kept his hands back, hit a ball deep enough in the outfield to score a man. That’s all a part of what we need to do. We’ve got to be creative. We’ve got to be athletic. We’ve got to use the element of surprise, our versatility and athleticism to make up for the power that we may not have compared to some other clubs. I still believe the power is going to come.”

After taking a 3-2 lead, Joel Hanrahan blew his first save of the season. He entered action 5-for-5 in save opps before giving up a two-run bomb to former bucco Adam LaRoche.

“No night is a good night to have it happen, but the guys battled back,” Hanrahan said after the game last night. “They battled for that run in the eighth inning. [Then] came out there in that last inning and get it done. Rod heard the boo’s earlier in the game, then came back and gave them a walk off homer. That’s pretty awesome. That’s an incredible feeling.”

The club was able to pick Hanrahan up with a walkoff two-run shot of their own in the ninth — Barajas’ first as a Pirate. It also marked his third walk off homer in his career.

• Pirates lineup vs. Nationals: Jose Tabata 9 Neil Walker 4 Andrew McCutchen 8 Pedro Alvarez 5 Casey McGehee 3 Yamaico Navarro 7 Rod Barajas 2 Josh Harrison 6 Erik Bedard 1
• Lefty Erik Bedard will get the start for the Bucs tonight. In his first two starts at PNC Park, Bedard has allowed three earned runs over 14.0 innings (1.93 ERA), but is 0-2 over those starts. The Pirates club was only able to give him one run of support combined in both losses. Bedard struck out a season-high 11 batters over 5.0 innings his last start in St. Louis.
• After righty A.J. Burnett’s 10 whiffs over his 8.0 inning start, the Pirates pitchers have struck out 140 batters (since April 21st) in their last 140.0 innings of work. That number tops the National League and is second in the Majors behind the Tampa Bay Rays (151).
• Nationals lineup vs. Bucs: Ian Desmond 6 Bryce Harper 8 Ryan Zimmerman 5 Adamn LaRoche 3 Xavier Nady 9 Danny Espinosa 4 Tyler  Moore 7 Wilson Ramos 2 Ross Detwiler 1

Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle knows something about being a phenom. Hurdle was a first round pick (ninth overall) by the Kansas City Royals in the 1975 draft. Hurdle made his Major League debut at 20, just a year older than Harper.

“You’re talking about 1978 and 2012,” Hurdle said on the hype of him compared to Harper. “That’s covering 34 years of media. The attention now is so much more dynamic. The opportunities, the wants and the asks are so much more dynamic. I just encourage them to go out and play. That’s what he’s doing. He’s just going out and playing…He’s had much more help and instruction coming up. He’s in a good place now. He’s a smart kid. He’s got a lot of talent. He’s got a good group of men that I’m sure support him over in that clubhouse as well as an organization that’s helping him find direction, the challenges and opportunities that come with the interaction with the media.”

Over his eight games, Harper has hit for a .308 clip with three runs, five doubles and five walks with the Nats. He also swiped home –his first ML steal– after the Phillies starter Cole Hamels intentionally plunked him with a fastball. Welcome to the big leagues, kid.

“Eventually, everybody gets one of those. Mine didn’t come as quick, maybe,” Hurdle said. “Boys will be boys.”

Second baseman Neil Walker is hitting second in the lineup tonight against the Nats. He’s hit in that spot three other times this season, with the majority batting fourth (12) and fifth (8). With Pedro Alvarez swinging the bat well, Hurdle said he fits in that spot well.

“He had some success driving in runs,” Hurdle said. “He was able to find ways to drive in runs. We had an opportunity to get more guys on base in front on him. He’s also suitable to get on base. Having a guy in the two spot that is a switch hitter is a strength, and can also be a weapon. We’re just trying to find a way right now to stack some people in front of Pedro. The other guys that have produced runs in the past, [Casey] McGhee. He hit behind [Prince] Fielder. This isn’t an uncommon thing to provide protection for our run producer in the lineup. He’s got experience doing it.”

“[Garrett] Jones has got experience to provide protection  for Casey, or vice-versa. It just goes to show that it’s going to come down to us really competing better in the batters box and having a mindset and planning on sticking with it. Not ripping up that plan up halfway through the at-bat and trying to do something dynamic. I think we have a better understanding of that as a club.”

The Pirates enter game action tonight hitting for at team .228 avg. That number is ranked 27 in all of baseball. Hurdle talked about slump busting activities today with the media before the game that he did when he was a player. Whatever it takes to get the bats going, right?

“We carried as far as sleeping in the clubhouse in an opposing city,” Hurdle said. “Took BP in a cage late at night when nobody knew —Somewhat attired. I’ve been on teams where we’ve used the same bat through the lineup. We tried to little league them. We used the same bat, kept handing it off. It’s happened in the big leagues, I’ve had teams that have done it. I’ve had guys do things that I’m sure I’m not aware of to try to bust the team out of a collective challenging period. We’ve got some of that going on right now.”

• Pirates lineup vs. Washington: Jose Tabata 7 Neil Walker 4 Andrew McCutchen 8 Pedro Alvarez 5 Casey McGehee 3 Garrett Jones 9 Clint Barmes 6 Rod Barajas 2 A.J. Burnett 1
• Andrew McCutchen is back in the lineup after missing several games due to the stomach flu. [He's feeling] much better,” Hurdle said. “He told us this afternoon that ‘he’s feeling like his old self’. We’ll get him back out there and let him play.”
• Nationals lineup vs. Pittsburgh: Ian Desmond 6, Bryce Harper 9, Ryan Zimmerman 5, Adam LaRoche 3, Danny Espinosa 4, Rick Ankiel 8, Wilson Ramos 2, Roger Bernadina 7, Edwin Jackson 1
• The Pirates pitching staff has posted a 2.39 ERA over  their first 12 games played at PNC Park this season. Only San Francisco (2.19) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2.36) have better home ERAs than Pittsburgh.
• The Nationals pitching staff, however, has been the best in baseball. Literally. Their 2.38 ERA is the best in the bigs entering game action tonight. Righty Edwin Jackson will get the nod for the Nats.  Steven Strasburg will follow on Wednesday.

“We’re going to approach it each individual,” Hurdle said. “Their numbers collectively are very good. They’re taking some big strides forward in the last two seasons off the mound, both from internal options and external options. We don’t need to be concerned with what [Steven] Strasburg’s got tonight. We need to make sure we take care of [Edwin] Jackson tonight. We’ve got to find a way to knock Jackson out of the game, get to the long relief and go from there.”

• The Pirates enter game action with the ninth-best ERA in the Majors at 3.41. A.J. Burnett will make his fourth start of the season tonight. He’s looking to bounce back from allowing 12 runs over 2.1 innings in St. Louis. Prior to that outing, Burnett had allowed just two runs over his first two starts (13.0 innings). In four career starts at PNC Park, Burnett has gone 2-1 with a 1.73 ERA (26.0ip/5er).

Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle said it’s best served for him to have the day off today. The club also has Monday off, and then they will revisit his status on Tuesday.

“He’s not in a good place physically,” Hurdle said. “He went out and tried. I think we’re best served with just giving him a break, giving a day off tomorrow, and we’ll revist it on Tuesday. It’s not fair for him right now. It’s not fair for us.”

McCutchen was removed in the fourth inning on Thursday’s game in St. Louis due to the stomach flu. He sat out also on Friday.

The energy in the clubhouse is young and fresh. The music. The handshakes. The group of guys act like a family. And it even keeps skipper Clint Hurdle young as well.

“These guys have a way of keeping me young,” Hurdle said. “I giggle when I see the handshakes. When we get ready for a game. Back in the day, you slap somebody on the backside, then you went to work. Some days we have trouble remembering our signs, but each one of them has 17 different handshakes they can throw down at the blink of an eye. That makes me giggle. The walk up songs make me giggle. The thing they talk about, the TV watch in their downtime makes me giggle.”

“It gives me a perspective on things that I normally don’t engage in whatsoever. It’s their clubhouse. They’re putting a foot down and making it their clubhouse. And I’m proud of them. I just know it’s not my clubhouse. Which is a good thing.”

While Hurdle was playing in the Majors, they didn’t have walk up music like they do today. But given the chance, Hurdle knew exactly what his song would be if he was playing today. He even had the song play while he took out the lineup card during spring training in Bradenton at McKechnie Field.

“Right now I’d have ‘I’m no angel by Gregg Allman.’ Oh man. Made for me,” Hurdle said.  “It’s beautiful. I mean, really, if you listen to the lyrics, it will make you giggle.”

• Pirates Lineup vs. Reds: Jose Tabata 9, Alex Presley 7, Neil Walker 4, Pedro Alvarez 5, Casey McGehee 3, Nate McLouth 8, Clint Barmes 6, Michael McKenry 2, Charlie Morton 1
• Both Neil Walker and Alex Presley homered in the Pirates 3-2 win against the Reds on Saturday night. The Pirates have won four of the last five games in which they’ve homered and are 9-5 overall this season when going deep at least once in a game.
• Right-hander Charlie Morton will get the start for the Pirates this afternoon. Morton allowed six runs (five earned) in 4.1 innings and lost a 10-7 decision to Adam Wainwright Tuesday night in St. Louis. It was his shortest outing since September 4, 2011 (also 4.1ip).
• Reds lineup vs. Pirates: Zach Cozart 6, Drew Stubbs 8, Joey Votto 3, Brandon Phillips 4, Jay Bruce 9, Chris Heisey 7, Todd Frazier 5, Ryan Hanigan 2, Mat Latos 1
• Righty Matt Latos has posted a 5.97 ERA over five starts this season. He allowed five earned runs on 10 hits over 6.1 innings with four strikeouts and two homers his last trip to the mound against the Houston Astros.

“We saw him really good last year,” Hurdle said. “He bullied us on a day game last year. He absolutely put his foot down and came after us. He pitched a strong ballgame. We actually got in front of him in San Diego in a game that he pitched. We hit some early homers, jumped out to a lead. He hit a homer in that game as well. This guys got a good big arm. He can spot his fastball, spin his breaking ball, cutter, changeup. When he’s on, he’s very tough. His last outing he got dinged up a little bit, so I’m sure he’s looking forward to getting back out on the mound after his outing as well. He’s got good history against us. Our guys have good history against him.”

Latos has a career 2.84 ERA against the Pirates over three games.

• Right-hander A.J. Burnett will get the start on Tuesday in Pittsburgh against the Washington Nationals. It will be his first outing since giving up 12 runs on 12 hits over 2.2 innings. Burnett will look to bounce back from the rough start against the Cardinals.

“His next start will be important,” Hurdle said. “No more then [Charlie] Morton’s start is for me today. No more important than [James] McDonald’s start was yesterday for me. No heightened importance because he got blistered the other day.”

• Lefty Jeff Locke (7.0ip) and reliever Evan Meek (2.0ip) combined on a 4-0 shutout for Triple-A Indianapolis last night. Locke has gone 3-1 with a 2.31 ERA (35.0ip/9er) in his first six starts with Indy.

McCutchen started each of the first 23 games this season before sitting out Wednesday’s game. He has reached base safely in eight of his last nine games and in 20 of his 24 overall this season.

Right-hander James McDonald will get the nod tonight against the Reds. McDonald has struck out a combined 18 batters in his last two starts (14.2ip). He’s coming off a start where he struck out a career-high 10 batters while cruising to a 9-3 win in Atlanta on Monday night. McDonald threw a career-high 114 pitches in the win, allowing a two-run homer to Freddie Freeman in the 1st inning and one more run in the fourth.

“I am really looking forward to seeing the continued evolution of this young man,” Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle said. “I spoke to it last year. You come off the outing he had in Atlanta.”

“I did not wake up thinking about J-Mac on the mound, I’ll be quite honest with you,” Hurdle said with a laugh. “My daughter was knocking on my door at 6:45 ready to go to Starbucks, then go to Target. So J-Mac was down on the list. Christian was right there with her. I had two faces in front of me, and they weren’t James McDonald. But he was there. By the time I got to the park, he was there. He’s an exciting man for us to have in the rotation. The growth that he’s exhibited in a years time is significant enough for you to be excited about it when he does take the mound.”

McDonald has posted a 2.97 ERA over his five starts in 2012.

• Pirates Lineup vs. Reds:  Jose Tabata 7 Neil Walker 4 Andrew McCutchen 8 Pedro Alvarez 5 Casey McGehee 3 Garrett Jones 9 Clint Barmes 6 Rod Barajas 2 James McDonald 1
• Pedro Alvarez is batting cleanup for the first time this season. Here’s the feature.
• With his next home run hit in Pittsburgh, Garrett Jones will tie Adam LaRoche for sixth place on the all-time list for homers hit at PNC Park. Jones currently has hit 33 home runs at PNC Park, one behind LaRoche and seven behind Aramis Ramirez, who is one of five players to have hit 40 or more here.
• Pittsburgh’s bullpen has allowed two runs in the last three games (11.1ip) and enters tonight’s action with a 2.84 ERA…The only two National League teams with a lower bullpen ERA are Cincinnati (2.54) and San Diego (2.70).
• Pittsburgh has recorded 40 extra base hits (30 doubles, one triple and nine home runs) in the last 11 games, beginning with the action on April 24…In that time frame, the Pirates rank first among all Major League teams in extra-base hits, with Boston (39) and Seattle (37) ranking second and third respectively.
• Reds Lineup vs. Pirates: Zach Cozart 6, Drew Stubbs 8, Joey Votto 3, Brandon Phillips 4, Jay Bruce 9, Scott Rolen 5, Ryan Ludwick 7, Devin Mesoraco 2, Mike Leake 1
• Right-hander Mike Leake has posted a 6.65 ERA over his four starts this season. He was charged with six runs (three earned) on seven hits over 3.2 innings against the Houston Astros during his last start.

“It was so fun to watch because all last year we had a pitch to contact staff,” Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle said. “You’re talking about a better offensive club. There is no better way to stop an offensive club then to set them down…Erik even made the comment after the game. He said, ‘I wasn’t even aware of it. I was just making pitches.’ I said, ‘Well, you just keep pitching. We’ll count them. You just keep taking care of it.’”

With 11 strikeouts in his start Thursday and nine K’s in his previous outing, Bedard is the first Pirates pitcher to record at least 20 strikeouts over two consecutive starts since Oliver Perez in September 2004 (21). Bedard is also the first Pittsburgh hurler to win two straight starts while fanning at least 20 batters since Francisco Cordova in August 1999 (courtesy Elias Sports Bureau).

Entering game action on Friday, the Pirates pitching staff has combined for 182 whiffs over 216.0 innings, which is ranked 10th-best in the National League. The club added two pitchers in A.J. Burnett and Bedard, who have been strikeout guys in the past.

“I don’t know if it’s an advantage,” Hurdle said on the fact that neither pitcher pitched in the NL last season. ” It could be some of that. It could be the fact that they do have swing and miss stuff.”

“You saw the evolution of James McDonald in Atlanta where he punched out 10. That hadn’t happened before. His confidence is building. We’ve got some guys in the bullpen that can strikeout people. That’s staying in play. It’s just the ability of the starters. The two that we’ve added has obviously been the biggest surge, and then James’ development. When Charlie’s [Morton] got his good power sinker and the breaking ball combination there’s swing and miss stuff there as well. They’re just maturing, reading swings better.”

• McCutchen Out: All-Star center fielder Andrew McCutchen is not in the lineup tonight due to flu-like symptoms. He was removed from the game in the fourth inning yesterday. Although, if he’s feeling better, he could be used later in the game off the bench.

• Pirates Lineup: Jose Tabata 9, Alex Presley 7, Nate McLouth 8, Neil Walker 4, Pedro Alvarez 5, Garrett Jones 3, Clint Barmes 6, Rod Barajas 2, Kevin Correia 1
• The bucco bats are heating up:  The Pirates have scored 25 runs in their last four games (6.3 per game average) after scoring 49 runs in their first 21 contests (2.3 per game average). Also, the Bucs are hitting .280 (94-for-336) in their last 10 games and are 6-0 this season when collecting 10 or more hits in a game.
• El Toro strikes again..and again…and again…: Beginning with the action on April 25, Pedro Alvarez leads the Major Leagues with nine extra-base hits…His five home runs in that time are tied with Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion and Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez for the most in the Majors and his 10 RBI rank fourth among all big league players (Gonzalez leads with 14).
• Solid work from the ‘pen: Pittsburgh’s bullpen has allowed one run in the last two games (9.1ip) to lower its ERA to 2.80 on the season. The only two teams in the National League with a lower bullpen ERA are Cincinnati (2.54) and San Diego (2.56).
• Bucs Starter: Kevin  Correia is making his fifth start of the season, the second at PNC Park. The right-hander has pitched 6.0 innings in three of his first four outings. During his last trip to the mound, Correia threw 101 pitches over 4.1 innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits with five walks and no strikeouts. The 31-year-old has allowed just one hit in 16 at bats (.063 average) this season with runners in scoring position.

• Cincinnati Reds lineup: Zack Cozart 6, Drew Stubbs 8, Joey Votto 3, Brandon Phillips 4, Jay Bruce 9, Scott Rolen 5, Chris Heisey 7, Ryan Hanigan 2, Johnny Cueto 1

“We go out and try to win every game,” Hurdle said. “It’s always important to come in with a win or to string some wins together. Unfortunately, the other teams got a lot to say about that also, and that guy on the mound. We’ve been scratching and clawing since opening day. I don’t anticipate anything different this homestand. We’re facing a club right now that’s trying to find their rhythm as well. They’re throwing three good starters at as. We’ve had some history with these guys that has fared pretty well on our side. But again, we’ve got to go out and play tonight. Cueto is on a roll himself, but we’re definitely looking forward to being home. Being home for three series. We need to use that to our advantage.”