LDN - Sports

McCutchen knocks in 3 as Pirates edge Brewers

[August 26, 2016] MILWAUKEE -- Andrew McCutchen is in the midst an off year, but Thursday night, he showed that he is still a player opponents don't want to see with the game on the line.

The Pittsburgh center fielder had three hits and drove in all three of the team's runs as the Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 in 10 innings. Pittsburgh won at Miller Park for the first time in 10 tries.

"It was a really, really good game for him offensively tonight throughout the night," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of McCutchen. "The quality of at-bats -- even the fly ball to left field he just missed -- worked it 3-2 on the count with the ground ball. The others balls, he just stayed on. ... Three RBIs on the night, an excellent night for him, and a good night for him to have and for us."

McCutchen put Pittsburgh on the board in the first inning with his 18th home run of the year, then added to the lead in the third with a single that scored Starling Marte.

Milwaukee tied the game in the seventh on a two-run homer by Kirk Nieuwenhuis, but McCutchen got one last shot in the 10th. He beat the shift with a base hit to right off Carlos Torres (2-3) to score John Jaso, who started the rally with a pinch-hit single to open the inning.

"We had him up the middle," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "We got outs on McCutchen playing the other side of the bag, but it's pick your poison. You have to pick spots to play him. That ball was well-hit. We would have had to have been right in front of the ball to make a play on it."

The three-hit game was McCutchen's eighth of the season and his first since July 27. Over his past five games, McCutchen has seven hits, raising his average to .250, the highest it has been since June 9.

"I think it's already been going pretty well for me," McCutchen said. "I'm in a good spot. Even when I'm behind in the count, I know I can still battle and get the job done. I was able to do that today. There's 30-something games left, and I'm just trying to finish them strong."

While McCutchen was putting up the offense, Pirates right-hander Chad Kuhl kept things in check on the mound. He held Milwaukee scoreless through the first six innings and wound up allowing two runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Along with five strikeouts, Kuhl got 11 outs on the ground thanks to a sharp slider that kept the Brewers' offense at bay.

"He had really good movement on all of his pitches," Nieuwenhuis said. "His two-seam really took off, and he was throwing his slider hard. His changeup was good, too. He had three plus pitches and threw them well all night.

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"He didn't really give us much."

That changed, though, in the seventh. With one out, Chris Carter reached on a double to bring up Nieuwenhuis, who sent Kuhl's first offering to right for his 12th home run of the season, tying the game at 2.

Milwaukee finally chased Kuhl when Orlando Arcia followed with a double.

"I think the slider flattened out a little bit, for whatever reason," Kuhl said. "It was going well for me all night, then it flattened out. I'm human, not a robot. I wish I could throw it perfectly every time, but it happens."

The bullpen picked Kuhl up, stranding the runner at second and keeping the Brewers scoreless over the final three innings. Antonio Bastardo (2-0) left the go-ahead run stranded at second in the ninth, and Tony Watson earned his eighth save with a perfect 10th.

"You just have to have faith in the bullpen and know that we are more than capable of scoring a run and pulling it out," Kuhl said. "You wish it didn't happen that way, but it's just one bad pitch. You can't let it ruin your night."

Brewers starter Wily Peralta went five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts.

NOTES: Pittsburgh kicked off a stretch of 17 consecutive games against NL Central opponents. In all, 31 of the Pirates' last 38 games will come against division foes. ... Brewers INF Will Middlebrooks went 2-for-4 with an RBI on Wednesday as he began a rehab assignment with Class A Wisconsin. Middlebrooks is working his way back from a right leg strain that has sidelined him since July 25. ... Miller Park has not been kind to the Pirates. They are 18-64 in Milwaukee since the start of the 2007 season. During that same span, Pittsburgh is 57-103 against the Brewers overall.

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