Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates starting pitcher Francisco Liriano remained perfect Wednesday, as he pushed his record to 3-0, in a 1-0 win over the Cubs.

Liriano held the Cubs scoreless over seven strong innings, needing just 91 pitches, 59 of them for strikes. He struck out nine batters, a season-high, and his highest total since Sept. 15 of 2012. Liriano walked just one batter, a season low, en route to picking up his third win in as many starts.

Liriano  allowed just two hits in the start, and rarely pitches from the stretch. He faced one tough situation in the top of the third, as he had the bases loaded with no out, but retired the next three batters to get out of the jam. That was the only time the Cubs even reached second base against Liriano.

He is now 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA in 18 innings, with 25 strikeouts and only six walks since returning from a broken arm. Liriano will try to keep his strong start going Monday, when he takes on the Tigers in Detroit. 

Pirates starting pitcher Jeff Karstens was scheduled to make his third rehab start for Double-A Altoona Thursday, but his name was removed from the schedule Wednesday afternoon, according to MLB.com. It is not clear when or where Karstens' next rehab start will happen.

Karstens last pitched Saturday in Altoona, throwing 60 pitches as he recovers from right shoulder inflammation. 

Pirates starting pitcher James McDonald made it through a bullpen session without any problems Tuesday, and he is expected to throw another Friday.

"So far so good," manager Clint Hurdle told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Wednesday. "There were no repercussions from (Tuesday). He didn't feel anything."

McDonald is set to begin his rehab assignment Monday for Double-A Altoona. He has not pitched since April 30 due to a shoulder injury. 

Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton is expected back from the disabled list early in June, which could cost Jeanmar Gomez his spot in the rotation, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Manager Clint Hurdle said the team does expect Morton to be in the rotation once his rehab assignment is over.

"We won't have to worry about that for another 10 days," Hurdle said. "We all believe that starting is Charlie's niche right now."

Gomez has a 2.78 ERA and has allowed six runs in 18 2/3 innings in four starts. 

Pirates outfielder Travis Snider was not in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Cubs, but he still eventually found a way to make his impact felt. He came into the game in the sixth inning with the based loaded and deposited a pinch-hit grand slam over the fence in right-center field.

Snider went 1 for 2 with a run scored and four driven in, in a 5-4 win. Snider has two home runs on the season, both of which have come in the last five games. He is batting .278 with a .761 on-base plus slugging percentage.