Pirates' Andrew McCutchen wasn't pleased about All-Star snub

Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen was left off this year's All-Star team, and the former MVP wasn't shy about voicing his displeasure about the snub. 

Speaking with reporters Friday, McCutchen sarcastically lamented not hitting enough balls over the fence, which he believes was the difference between staying home this week and being in Seattle. 

"If somebody had said, 'Hey Cutch, all you have to do is hit a bunch of home runs, you'd probably have a chance at the All-Star Game,' I would've had a different approach this year," McCutchen said via Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  

McCutchen's home run and RBI totals are far from reaching the top of the National League leaderboard. Still, the 15-year vet has excelled at getting on base, ranking seventh in the National League in walks (49) and on-base percentage (.383). Also, as Gorman pointed out, McCutchen was on quite a roll before posting an 0-for in the Pirates' last four games ahead of the break, batting .287/.399./.455 with 10 homers and 28 RBI. 

Even if McCutchen had earned a spot in the Midsummer Classic, there's no guarantee he would have played. The Pirates placed the 36-year-old on the injured list last week with an elbow injury that has plagued him throughout the season. However, the former MVP says he'll be back in the Pirates lineup Sunday when he is eligible to come off of the IL. 

Losers of seven of their last 10, the Pirates could probably use McCutchen's experience back in the lineup sooner rather than later. At 41-49, the Pirates are fourth in the NL Central, trailing the first-place Cincinnati Reds (50-41) by 8.5 games. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is eight games back of the third wild card spot in the NL, occupied by the San Francisco Giants (49-41).