Andrew McCutchen's Late HR Pushes Pirates Past Giants

Right-handed starting pitcher Mitch Keller took the mound for his 22nd start of the season and potentially his last with the Pirates, as teams have reportedly targeted him in trade rumors, ahead of the deadline on July 31.

Keller allowed a leadoff single to Giants left fielder Heliot Ramos in the bottom of the first inning, but then struck out first baseman Rafael Devers and got shortstop Willy Adames to fly out.

He got down to the final strike of the inning, but gave up a hit to third baseman Matt Chapman, that Pirates right fielder Alexander Canario missed on the dive. Chapman made it to third base on the triple and Ramos scored, tying the game up at 1-1.

Keller walked center fielder Jung Hoo Lee, who then stole second base, putting both runners in scoring position, but forced designated hitter Wilmer Flores to line out and end the inning after 35 pitches.

Canario and Pirates first baseman Liover Peguero had back-to-back walks with one out in the top of the second inning.

Catcher Henry Daivis struck out, but shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa came up with a big hit, taking a changeup from Whisenhunt over the middle of the plate and sending it 398 feet off of the center field wall for a double, scoring both Canario and Peguero, as the Pirates retook the lead, 3-1.

Left fielder Tommy Phame then came through with a single to left field, scoring Kiner-Falefa and extending the Pirates' advantage to 4-1.

Keller continued his struggles heading into the bottom of the second inning, starting off by walking Giants right fielder Mike Yaztremski.

He then allowed a single to catcher Patrick Bailey and a ground-rule double to second baseman Brett Wisely, scoring Yaztremski and cutting the Giants' deficit to 4-2.

Peguero made a great grab for the first out off of Ramos, but Keller loaded the bases by walking Devers and then gave up a single to Adames, scoring Bailey and trimming the deficit to 4-3.

Keller would make back-to-back strikeouts of Chapman and Lee, ending the inning after 38 pitches and keeping the Pirates ahead 4-3.

That also marked the end of his outing, as his 73 pitches marked the most for any pitcher in the MLB in just two innings.

Gonzales led off the top of the third inning with a single and moved to third base on back-to-back groundouts, but then Canario also grounded out as well, stranding him in scoring position.

Left-handed pitcher Génesis Cabrera came in relief for the Pirates in the bottom of the third inning. He would throw a scoreless third inning, but gave up a one-out double to Ramos in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Cabrera forced Devers to ground out for the second out, moving Ramos to third base, and Pirates manager Don Kelly took him out for right-handed relief pitcher Yohan Ramírez.

Ramírez then allowed a single to Adames, scoring Ramos and tying the game up for the Giants at 4-4.

He then loaded the bases after hitting Chapman with a pitch and walking Lee, but got a groundout from Flores and ended the inning without allowing more runs.

Whisenhunt ended his MLB debut after five innings and right-handed pitcher Carson Seymour came on in the top of the sixth inning.

Peguero wound up on second base with a two-out double, as Lee missed the ball after confusion with a lack of communication, and Davis walked, but Kiner-Falefa struck out, ending that scoring chance.

Ramírez ending his outing after throwing a scoreless sixth inning, which kept the game tied.

Pham led off the top of the seventh inning with a walk and then McCutchen crushed a slider from Seymour 383 feet into the left field seats for a two-run home run, putting the Pirates up 6-4.

That home run marked the 10th of the season for McCutchen, making it 17 seasons he has hit double-digit home run totals, just one of 11 players in MLB history that did so.

It also was his 2,235 career-hit, pushing him past Philadelphia Phillies third baseman and Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt for 178th all-time, and ended a 0-for-15 streak at the plate.

Right-handed pitchers Isaac Mattson and Dennis Santana threw scoreless seventh and eighth innings, respectively, giving right-handed pitcher David Bednar a chance for another save.

Bednar allowed a leadoff double to Adames, then got a flyout from Chapman, moving Adames to third base. He then allowed a single to Lee, scoring Adames, cutting the deficit to 6-5 and ending his 23-game streak of not allowing an earned run.

Flores hit a single, but Bednar would get a pop out from Yazstremski and forced Bailey to ground out and secured his 17th save in 17 attempts for the win.

The Pirates look to win the series in the next game vs. the Giants on July 29. First pitch is set for 9:45 p.m. (EST).