After finally snapping their losing streak against the Seattle Mariners, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bittersweet win was overshadowed by an injury to a fan-favorite player.
Andrew McCutchen exited the first game of the Pirates series against the Mariners early due to left knee inflammation. This is coming at an unfortunate time as he has been in his hottest stretch of the season with an 11-game hitting streak.
Pittsburgh placed McCutchen on the 10-day injured list according to Sports Illustrated’s Nathaniel Marrero.
“After exiting Friday’s game early, Andrew McCutchen was placed on the 10-day Injured List by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday due to left knee discomfort,” Marrero reported. “McCutchen suffered the injury in the bottom of the seventh inning of the Pirates’ 5-3 win over the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park. After hitting a single, the veteran outfielder and designated hitter came up hobbled while running to first base. After being looked at by trainers, he was replaced by Ji Hwan Bae as a pinch runner. McCutchen was 1-for-4 with an RBI on a sacrifice fly that gave Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.
“As the corresponding move to placing McCutchen on the IL, the Pirates called up infielder Alika Williams from Triple-A Indianapolis. Williams, 25, has appeared in 25 games for the Pirates this season. In Triple-A, Williams is batting .298 with 13 RBIs and a pair of stolen bases.”
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McCutchen is slashing .235/.336/.405 this season with 16 home runs before getting injured. He is an important piece to the Pirates’ offense and his impact will be missed. Pittsburgh will look to keep their momentum up as they await McCutchen’s return.
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