Andrew McCutchen hits 3 doubles but no homers as Cardinals top Pirates, avoid sweep

The Pittsburgh Pirates fans who attended the finale of the three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon wanted to see Andrew McCutchen have a milestone moment.

And McCutchen did, just not the way they expected.

One home run shy of his career 300th, McCutchen didn’t put one out of the park. Instead, the Pirates designated hitter delivered the first three-double game of his 15-year major league career.

McCutchen’s triple-double wasn’t enough for the Pirates to sweep St. Louis, however, as the Cardinals tagged starting pitcher Luis Ortiz for five runs in a 6-4 win before 11,504 at PNC Park. The game was interrupted in the sixth inning by rain, prompting a 92-minute delay.

“I just go up there and try to hit the ball. That’s pretty much it,” McCutchen said. “I try not to give too much thought about it. I got some good pitches to hit today, put a good swing on it and got a couple hits.”

McCutchen had two doubles 36 times in his career, most recently June 24 at Miami, but had never hit three in one of his previous 1,996 games. The Pirates have had a trio of three-double games by a player this season, with Connor Joe providing the others: One against the Chicago White Sox on April 7 and the other Monday against the Cardinals.

“That’s shocking that was the case,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “He’s really in a good spot consistently. He went through a stretch where he didn’t get any hits, but it seemed like every ball he hit was hard and right at people. Four or five line drives right at the shortstop or third baseman. But now he’s getting that ball elevated, or getting it down the line, or getting it in the gap.”

McCutchen reached safely in his first four at bats but was stranded every time as the Pirates went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 on base. The Cardinals left 13 on base but had the comfort of a five-run cushion after the first two innings.

In his first start for the Pirates since July 4, Ortiz (2-4) allowed seven hits and five walks while striking out five in 3 1/3 innings. The 24-year-old right-hander, who was activated from the taxi squad before the game, got off to a good start when he got leadoff batter Tommy Edman swinging at an elevated fastball for a strikeout.

The start went south quickly when Alec Burleson dropped a bunt that saw catcher Jason Delay stumble out of the box and then throw over the outstretched arm of Connor Joe at first base for an error.

Paul Goldschmidt singled to right to score Burleson from second for a 1-0 lead, then Ortiz walked Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras to load the bases. Ortiz got Andrew Knizner looking at a called third strike on a full-count fastball low and away for the second out, but Richie Palacios drilled a two-run double down the right field line for a 3-0 lead.

“Obviously, the first inning was a lot different than the other innings, but the same mentality: Just go out there and give my best,” Ortiz said through interpreter Stephen Morales. “And it did not go my way that first inning.”

Ortiz ran into more trouble in the second, issuing back-to-back walks of Burleson and Goldschmidt, followed by a two-run double down the third-base line by Nolan Arenado that stretched the Cardinals’ advantage to 5-0. Shelton wasn’t happy with how Ortiz got behind in counts and threw 90 pitches in only three-plus innings

“I think the stuff was there. The command wasn’t,” Shelton said. “He had five walks. Then, when he had to come on the plate, he gave up the runs early. I think it was more execution than it was stuff. In the minor leagues, recently, he had been throwing the ball more on the plate. You cannot walk five guys in four innings and expect not to give up runs.”

The Pirates loaded the bases against Zack Thompson (3-5) in the third, when Jason Delay singled, Ke’Bryan Hayes doubled and McCutchen drew a walk. The Pirates cut it to 5-1 when Delay scored after Thompson hit Joe with a pitch.

Ortiz was pulled with one out and runners on first and second in the fourth. Yohan Ramirez threw a wild pitch that put both runners in scoring position, then walked Contreras to load the bases before getting Knizner to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.

In the fifth inning, Hayes sent Thompson’s 1-0 fastball 392 feet to center for a solo home run to cut it to 5-2. It was the ninth homer of the season and fourth in the past 14 games for Hayes, who has 10 extra-base hits in that span.

The rain delay forced the Cardinals to pull Thompson, who allowed two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five in five innings. The Pirates loaded the bases against Andre Pallante, and Liover Peguero scored on Delay’s grounder to short to cut it to 5-3.

The Pirates threatened to score again in the seventh, when McCutchen worked a 10-pitch at bat against Drew VerHagen and lined a full-count cutter to left field for his third double. VerHagen hit Joe with a pitch but got Joshua Palacios looking at a called third strike and Peguero to fly out to shallow center.

The Cardinals increased their lead to 6-3 in the ninth, when Knizner reached on a swinging chopper for a single and scored when Winn grounded into a forceout.

In the bottom of the ninth, Reynolds singled and scored on Joe’s two-out double past a diving Richie Palacios in center to cut it to 6-4, but Joshua Palacios had a broken-bat groundout to end a game that saw McCutchen do something for the first time instead of the 300th.

“I don’t know, man. If you’d have asked me that, I’d have thought I’d done it before,” said McCutchen, who went down looking at a called third strike in the ninth. “It’s always nice to get an extra-base hit. I’m sure a lot of people are disappointed because I didn’t hit a homer. But I’m pleased with my game, personally. I would’ve liked to cap it off by hitting another one, but it didn’t work out that way.”