PITTSBURGH — As the Pirates quietly slipped away from contention in the NL Central during the second half of the month of August, centerfielder Andrew McCutchen’s hot streak was taking a slide as well.
McCutchen finished August with a .222/.300/.283 line. That’s his worst batting average since May and the hit just one home run and three doubles in the month, the lowest total for each this season.
“He’ll make the adjustments,” general manager Neal Huntington said Sunday. “We still see bat speed. We still see athleticism. We still see life. We still see all the traits that we saw in April when he was struggling and in July when he was playing like an MVP again. It’s just the ebb and flow of the game. If you have six good months of a major-league season, they call you the MVP or they call you Cy Young.”
Of course, Huntington has a decision to make about McCutchen’s future at the end of the season. It seemed that taking his one-year option would be a no-brainer, but could the late-year slide effect his decision-making? It doesn’t sound like it.
“We still believe Andrew McCutchen continues to be a great major-league player and will be again,” Huntington added. “There’s nothing Andrew McCutchen will or won’t do that’s going to affect that decision in September to exercise the option. It’s a matter of time, how it plays out and what’s the best decision for the organization.”
CRUISE CONTROL
While the Pirates have swooned, the Cubs have been on cruise control. In their last 20 games, the Cubs are 14-6 and took three of four against the Atlanta Braves after sweeping the Pirates last week.
The Cubs are still just 3.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers to start the series, though, so the Pirates do have the ability to be a spoiler. It’s also a chance to put the young players they’re giving bigger opportunities to a taste of pennant-race caliber baseball.
“The Cubs or whoever we play, I think it’s good any game that a youngster gets out there and gets experience and gets at-bats and puts himself in tough situations,” shortstop Jordy Mercer said. “All it’s going to do is grow their experience, grow their development and help along the way.”
STARTING LINEUP
Gm 138: #Pirates (65-72) vs. #Cubs (75-61)
LF
NOTES
Chad Kuhl is 0-4 with an 11.07 ERA against the Cubs. … In his last six appearances at home, he has a 2.41 ERA and has allowed only one home run. … The Pirates have beaten Jake Arrieta three straight times at PNC Park. … Josh Bell is 6 for 13 (.462) with a home run and two doubles in his career against Arrieta. He’s faced him in 17 plate appearances, the most of any major-league pitcher.
