Hurdle: This is the 'best team that we've had since I've been here'; Bochy suspended

Notes from this afternoon's press scrum:

-P- Giants manager Bruce Bochy and reliever George Kontos have been suspended for Kontos throwing at Andrew McCutchen last night. Bochy will serve his suspension tonight.

-P- The plan is still for Charlie Morton to start tomorrow. For the weekend, the scheduled rotation is A.J. Burnett, Jeff Locke, and Gerrit Cole.

­-P- There has been some discussion about whether Cole was throwing his slider or curveball last night. After the game Martin said he was a curveball. Today, Hurdle said it was a slider.

-P- As the Pirates early-season success continues, talk of last year's collapse and comparisons between this year's club and 2012 continue. Today the Pirates' manager expressed confidence that this team is significantly different in terms of both depth and talent. "We have better talent. Lineup's longer, rotational depth's better. Overall starting rotation's better. The bullpen is playing out better as we speak right now. With more depth, more options. For me the three guys that have really created a different dynamic out there are Wilson, Mazzaro and Morris. Having multiple-innings guys. So it's the best team that we've had since I've been here."

­-P- On James McDonald's outing last night: "There were some good sequences. He got some work in. It wasn't as sharp as it could have been. ... There was work to be done, he did some of it. There is more that needs to be done."

-P- Hurdle made a point to single out Vin Mazzaro's appearance in the sixth inning last night. He said the reliever was in a "no-win" situation and that forcing Posey to ground out with two men on in the seventh should not be overlooked amidst all the "hype" surrounding last night's game. "Wasn't one of the most important pitches of the night Mazzaro facing Posey? Everybody take for granted that he got him out. He doesn't get him out and gives up a three-run homer, what type of stories are you going to write? ... The guy is either the villain or he is paid no attention to whatsoever."

-P- Asked about last night's brawl in Los Angeles, Hurdle discussed in a general way some of his thoughts about how teams handle situations when emotions get a little frayed: "You try to handle it professionally without going rogue. And sometimes at the end of the day, rogue is the answer for that particular team to get angst out, to get frustration out. To get whatever they need to get out. I've seen it happen a lot. It usually happens in the summer. I mean we're 60 games into the season. Guys have a feel for things. There is a little more weight tied to things. The frustrations and anxieties pick up."

-P- Specific to last night and how the Pirates have handled similar situations this year: "From our standpoint, we never want our guys to get hit. I think we've been very professional in trying to protect our hitters this year. When one of their best hitters has to leave the game that creates angst on their side. I understand that. Everybody understands that we weren't trying to hit Scutaro to put him on to pitch to Posey. But bottom line, he got hit, he got hurt, he had to get an X-ray, I don't know where that goes."