McCutchen comes up clutch with 10th-frame long ball

ST. LOUIS -- Andrew McCutchen didn’t need to hear the entire question. He already had his answer.

“That was a ball,” McCutchen said matter-of-factly.

In the top of the 10th inning, McCutchen found himself ahead, 3-0, against Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks when St. Louis’ flamethrower spun a high-and-in slider that forced McCutchen to stumble out of the box. The pitch, in McCutchen’s estimation, was a ball; home plate umpire Will Little awarded Hicks with a strike. McCutchen may have been a bit perturbed in the moment, but after the game, McCutchen was glad that the call didn’t go his way.

“I sure am,” McCutchen said with a smile.

McCutchen delivered the most clutch swing of the Pirates’ season thus far, blasting a go-ahead two-run home run to deliver an extra-inning 6-3 win on Saturday at Busch Stadium. The season remains young, but to McCutchen, these types of wins serve as proof of the progress this young team is making.

“[The Cardinals] are no pushover,” McCutchen said. “They’re a good team. For us to be able to do what we’ve done thus far, it’s been great. In the losses we’ve had, we’ve had opportunities. Opportunities are there. We just have not been on the winning side of those opportunities. Once those start rolling, we’ll start seeing the wins we’re supposed to get. It lets us know that we’re close.”

When Hicks, a fireballer who touches triple digits with relative ease, opened his plate appearance against McCutchen with three consecutive sliders, McCutchen got the impression that Hicks was trying to pitch around him. After Hicks stole a strike, he threw a fifth slider that McCutchen let go for a strike, then a sixth slider that McCutchen fouled off. McCutchen had to respect Hicks’ heater, but at this point in the plate appearance, he was prepared for another slide piece.

“In my mind, I thought, ‘If he throws me another slider, I’m gonna be ready,’” McCutchen said. “That’s what he did, and it was pretty much history.”

History, indeed. For McCutchen, the go-ahead blast is all the sweeter considering the poor luck he had during Friday’s 3-0 loss. McCutchen put four balls in play that registered exit velocities of 95.1 mph, 98.4 mph, 102.5 mph and 104.5 mph but had a single hit to show for his efforts thanks to some phenomenally frustrating St. Louis defense. On Sunday, he put the ball where only fans could catch it.

“He deserved it with the swings that he had yesterday,” manager Derek Shelton said. “He finally hit one where they weren’t standing.”

Before McCutchen could deliver his game-winning swing, Rodolfo Castro first ensured that this game would get to extras. In the eighth inning with the Pirates trailing by a run, Castro inside-outed Ryan Helsley’s 99.7 mph inside fastball down the left-field line, scoring Connor Joe all the way from first base and tying the game at 3.

Castro, currently rocking a five-game hitting streak, provided some insurance in the 10th inning as well, following up Joe’s triple with a run-scoring single.

McCutchen’s game-winning swing will, understandably, dominate social media feeds, but not to be lost in the shuffle is the performance of Roansy Contreras. After allowing seven runs to the Astros in his last outing, a total that matches his career worst, Contreras pitched six innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts, the fifth consecutive quality start by a Pirates pitcher.

Contreras had some bad luck in the first inning that contributed to the only two runs he allowed. Brendan Donovan began the frame by doubling on a towering 65.2 mph pop up, then two batters later, after Contreras gave up a ground-rule double to Alec Burleson that scored a run, Paul Goldschmidt reached base on a 51.2 mph single. While Contreras’ afternoon began poorly, he shook off the rough first and held the Cardinals scoreless for the next five frames.

In the fifth inning, Contreras received a hand from third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, whose defense changed the trajectory of Contreras’ start. With a runner on third and one out, Goldschmidt smoked a low line drive that, off the bat, looked like a run-scoring double. Instead, Hayes reached down, hauled in the screamer and stepped on third to finish the double play, ending the inning.

Contreras saved his best for last, striking out the side in his sixth and final inning on just 10 pitches.

Through 15 games, the Pirates have showcased the myriad ways they can win games. In their first foray into extras this season, McCutchen showed he’s still plenty capable of bringing agony to St. Louis.