Back to the Pittsburgh Pirates Newsfeed

Pirates stepping up during McCutchen's slump

CHICAGO -- Andrew McCutchen began Monday's series opener at Wrigley Field with only one hit in his last 17 at-bats. He owned the lowest batting average of the Pirates' eight everyday players.

And in a weird way, the Pirates have found solace in those numbers.

That's because the Bucs entered Monday three games above .500 (11-8) after winning eight of their last 10 games. In other words, the Pirates have put together their best stretch of this young season without McCutchen at his best.

In years past, the Pirates might not have been able to survive this kind of slump from their star, much less reel off five straight wins.