SAN FRANCISCO _ Andrew McCutchen's two-run homer off San Francisco Giants right-hander Matt Cain capped a six-run fifth inning Wednesday as the Pittsburgh Pirates rumbled to a 6-5 comeback win and a series sweep, closing their West Coast road swing with five wins to one loss.
The Pirates have won nine of their past 12 games. Their only loss on the road trip came Saturday when they squandered an early lead in Los Angeles and tied a franchise record with 18 runners left on base. Other than that, the Pirates had smooth sailing with not a cloud in sight.
Except for the ninth innings Tuesday and Wednesday.
Closer Tony Watson entered for his third save in three days and again ran into trouble. He loaded the bases with no outs, then got Buster Posey to ground into a run-scoring double play. With the potential tying run at third base, Brandon Crawford flied out to shallow center field.
The scoreboard inset in the right-field wall at AT&T Park read in the upper left corner: STL 8, HOU 2. The St. Louis Cardinals had won again, maintaining their one-game lead for the second wild-card spot. The Pirates are now three games behind the Giants in the first wild-card position.
Before the game, manager Clint Hurdle was asked whether he's taken a peek at the standings.
"It doesn't do any good. It doesn't help," Hurdle said. "I learned that a long time ago. It doesn't help. Matter of fact, the more scoreboard-watching you do, I think the bigger a distraction it becomes.
"I know this: If we play our best baseball, we'll find our way into the playoffs."
Since being benched for three games at the start of August, McCutchen is 13 for 41 (.317) with absurd productivity at the plate. Before Wednesday, he had a .469 on-base percentage and .902 on-base-plus-slugging percentage this month, with 12 walks to just eight strikeouts.
Right-hander Ivan Nova was strategically lifted for a pinch-hitter after pitching four poor innings. He allowed four runs on six hits and struck out five. It was his worst of three starts since joining the Pirates.
The Giants' first two trips through the order were eerily equal. In the first and third, Angel Pagan and Posey singled in front of Crawford, who socked extra-base hits _ first a double, then a triple _ to score them. In the second and fourth, Nova hurled 1-2-3 innings.
Meanwhile, the Pirates' only base runner through four innings was Nova, who bounced a single through the left side. Reality and a string of free passes caught up to Cain in the fifth. He hit David Freese with a changeup, and then ushered in a run with three consecutive walks.
Rather than allow Nova to bat with the bases loaded, Hurdle looked down the bench and called for pinch-hitter Matt Joyce. He delivered again, rolling a two-run single into right field. The Giants' lead, whittled to one, vanished when the next batter, Josh Harrison, lifted a sacrifice fly to center.
With Cain unable to corral an inning careening out of his control, McCutchen attacked. He launched Cain's first-pitch fastball over the wall in left-center field for his 17th home run, tying Gregory Polanco for the team lead. All of a sudden, the Pirates led, 6-4, and Cain was cooked.
Cain allowed three hits and six runs in 4 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out four.
