TORONTO _ For nearly three months, no one worried for Andrew McCutchen. From the time the Pirates center fielder landed at the Mendoza line May 23 and when he ripped an RBI double off Toronto Blue jays starter Marcus Stroman in the third inning of the Pirates' 4-2 win Friday at Rogers Centre, McCutchen batted .351 with an OPS a smidgen below 1.100.
For the Pirates, reality rushed in like a wave in the third inning Friday when McCutchen, two plays after doubling, limped down the dugout steps and continued into the clubhouse. The initial diagnosis was "left patellofemoral discomfort," per the Pirates. McCutchen was bothered by the left knee in 2015, admitted the following spring it was "constant, consistent" soreness.
"It hurt," he said in spring training last year. "That's all I can tell you."
When the Pirates were in Detroit earlier this week, McCutchen was asked whether he dreaded coming to Rogers Centre, where the artificial turf tends to wear on outfielder's legs. He shrugged off the notion, saying, "It's a hitter's ballpark. I'm cool. I'm ready for that." He was on dirt, not turf, when the injury was revealed. It is unknown whether he tweaked the knee earlier.
It also is not yet known whether McCutchen's injury will require a trip to the disabled list. He has gone on the disabled list only once before, in August 2014 when he fractured a rib.
The Pirates returned to .500, at 58 wins and 58 losses, and have won six of their past nine games. They started the Toronto series three games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs.
Right-hander Jameson Taillon (7-5), whose mother and father both were born in Ontario, tossed six-plus innings and served a hard-luck loss to Stroman (10-6), who allowed four hits and four unearned runs in eight innings. Taillon allowed six hits and two runs. He walked one and struck out seven.
Stroman, meanwhile, was buried by his defense in the third inning.
The Pirates' rally started with a slider that spun across the toes of John Jaso's spikes for a painless hit by pitch. A replay review could neither confirm nor deny contact. A one-out rally was alive. Rob Refsnyder fielded Francisco Cervelli's grounder and threw wildly to second base, scotching a shot at a double play. On the next play, another Refsnyder error. He ruined Josh Donaldson's diving double-play try by failing to keep his foot on the bag when taking the throw.
After Josh Harrison pushed the Pirates ahead, 2-1, with a run-scoring single, McCutchen cracked a line drive which sailed away from center fielder Kevin Pillar toward the right-center gap. Pillar dived. The baseball deflected off his mitt and bounced onto the warning track. McCutchen slowed and strode into second base with a stand-up double and his 71st RBI.
There was no issue immediately apparent. McCutchen retreated to second base on Josh Bell's sacrifice fly to center field. After a called strike during David Freese's at-bat, however, McCutchen reached for his left knee. He asked for time, summoned athletic trainer Ben Potenziano and limped toward the dugout. They met near the foul line and walked off together.
If McCutchen's departure weren't sufficient shock for the Pirates, Jose Bautista splashed them with cold water, slugging a solo home run to cut the Blue Jays' deficit to 4-2. It was Bautista's 20 home run this season. He's homered in three consecutive games and in four of the past five.
Taillon nestled into a groove, to the chagrin of his Canadian countrymen, and retired 12 batters in a row. The streak was snapped when Ezequiel Carrera, having worked a full count after two early strikes, banged a leadoff double over Adam Frazier's head and off the left-field wall. After Taillon started with two balls to Ryan Goins, pitching coach Ray Searage stopped in for a chat. Taillon evened the count with back-two-back two-seamers before Goins singled to center.
With runners on the corners and no outs, acting manager Tom Prince signaled for his first pitching change. He called on the right man. Right-hander George Kontos, a two-time World Series champion claimed on waivers last week from the San Francisco Giants, navigated out of trouble with a pop fly, a strikeout and a grounder. He is perfect in three outings with the Pirates.
Right-hander Juan Nicasio tossed a scoreless eighth. Closer Felipe Rivero earned save No. 12.
