McCutchen went 2-for-5 with an RBI double Friday in Atlanta. His march toward a .300-plus batting average continues, as he's now slashing .295/.382/.497. McCutchen's strikeout rate of 13.6 percent is the lowest of his career while his BABIP of .313 remains nearly 20 points below his career mark (.329). June has also been the center fielder's best month -- he's hit .326/.397/.542 over the course of his career. After a slow start, Cutch is back to his usual production.

McCutchen raised his season's batting average to .292 on Tuesday, going 4-for-5 while missing the cycle by a home run. He's up to .292/.379/.497 with seven dingers, 34 RBI and three steals. By comparison, McCutchen sported a line of .304/.425/.469 with five homers, 25 RBI and seven steals at the same time in 2014. It's possible Pittsburgh rests the superstar Wednesday in order to give him two days down with Thursday's off day.

McCutchen collected three hits, including a pair of doubles, in five at-bats against San Diego on Thursday. He's batting .333/.410/.588 with five homers and 18 RBI in 117 plate appearances over the past month. McCutchen's .291 BABIP remains well off his career mark of .337, suggesting there's more good things to come from the center fielder -- so long as he keeps his left knee healthy.

McCutchen went 2-for-3 with his third homer in four games and fifth in 11 contests Sunday afternoon. He nearly tripped after beating out an infield single in the third inning, wincing in pain. McCutchen stayed in the game and seems to be able to overcome whatever knee pain he feels. The .261 batting average is his highest since Opening Day as is his .823 OPS.

McCutchen went 3-for-4 Saturday with two RBI and his sixth home run of the season. He's now hitting .361 (13-for-36) over his last 10 games with four home runs and 10 RBI, and the concerns over McCutchen's knee and the poor start to the season are rapidly fading away.

McCutchen went 1-for-3 with a double off the right field fence and a run scored Friday. In the eighth inning he was hit by an Erik Goeddel pitch in the back of the upper arm/shoulder area, but stayed in the game. It appears he'll be okay for Saturday's tilt, though there's a chance the team could play it safe with him. McCutchen is batting .291/.374/.494 with three homers and 12 RBI in his last 91 plate appearances.

McCutchen went 3-for-5 with a solo homer in Wednesday's loss to Minnesota. Can't put that one on Cutch. Despite having gone just 1-for-12 over the prior three games, McCutchen has been showing lately that he's over the knee ailment that was limiting him in the early part of the year. He came into play May 7 hitting .188, and after Wednesday's performance, he's raised his average a full 50 points to .238. It wouldn't be a surprise to see it keep rising toward his typical .300 level.

McCutchen belted his fourth homer -- a three-run shot -- in Friday's 11-10 lost to the Cubs. He made up for an earlier at-bat in which he flew out to right field with the bases loaded. The Pirates center fielder now has four doubles and two home runs in his last eight starts. He's also raised his batting average from .185 to .238 in the last 11.

McCutchen is back in the lineup Friday afternoon, batting third while manning center field in Wrigley Field. Manager Clint Hurdle said during his pre-game radio show that the team has pre-scheduled days off for its players, meaning that McCutchen's absence from Thursday's tilt was planned. Hurdle added that he expects McCutchen to be in the lineup for all three weekend games in Chicago. The center fielder is batting .350 with a .976 OPS in 183 career at-bats at Wrigley.

McCutchen is out of the lineup Thursday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Stephen Nesbitt reports. It would seem to just be a day off for McCutchen in the day game following Wednesday's night game. He has three hits, including a home run, in his last two games and also has four RBI and one stolen base over that stretch, so he could be starting to find himself offensively.