Post-Gazette/Pirates Notebook: McCutchen reaching ‘another level’

For all that went awry for the Pirates on this 1-5 road trip, the performance of their gifted young center fielder clearly was not among them.

In these six games, Andrew McCutchen:

• Went 10 for 29 out of the leadoff spot, with a home run, three triples, two doubles and six RBIs.

• Extended his current hitting streak to 10 games.

• Made six fine running catches, including an exceptional back-to-the-fence running stab of a laser from the Colorado Rockies’ Todd Helton Saturday night.

His totals through 17 games: .333 with the home run, five triples, three doubles, 13 runs scored, 13 RBIs and two steals.

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Huntington said that first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce’s promotion should not be taken as a sign that first baseman Adam LaRoche is about to be traded.

“If we were close on something with Adam, we’d leave Pearce in the minors to play every day and develop to prepare for Adam being gone, but that’s not the case,” Huntington said.