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.

McCutchen went 1-for-3 with a two-run single Wednesday night in Philadelphia. He also stole his second base in the last seven games. McCutchen is driving the ball once again and fantasy owners are breathing a sigh of relief.

McCutchen launched his third homer -- a two-run shot -- Tuesday against Philadelphia. He's batting .409 (9-for-22) with five extra-base hits in his last six games. McCutchen has a homer and five hits in 19 at-bats against Wednesday starter, Cole Hamels, and is showing few signs of a left knee ailment which has hampered him throughout the early season.

McCutchen has two homers and three hits in six career at-bats against Monday starter, Jerome Williams. He enters Monday's tilt riding a four-game streak of doubles, as the power seems to be returning for the center fielder. McCutchen is batting .275 with an OPS of .701 in nine May games as he works his way around knee issues.

McCutchen was 2-for-5 with a run scored in a losing cause against St. Louis on Friday night. The notable part of this is the fact that he now has five hits over his last two games. McCutchen has struggled since Opening Day and the five hits only raised his average to .219 but its possible his bat is coming to life. The perennial all-star won't stay down long, and when he does break out, the numbers could be jaw-dropping.

McCutchen reached base four times Thursday, going 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. The outfielder also stole his first bag of the year, but it was an uncontested swipe of third base. McCutchen has three hits in nine lifetime at-bats against Friday starter, Michael Wacha.

McCutchen went 1-for-4 with a single Wednesday against the Reds. He misplayed a Todd Frazier double into a triple and generally continued in the malaise that's gotten him off to a miserable start. McCutchen now holds a .188/.279/.292 line while playing in pain with an injured right knee.