Andrew McCutchen went 2-for-3 with a home run in the Pirates' 6-5 win over the Phillies on Friday. McCutchen's average had been in danger of falling below .500, but he's 12-for-22 after today. The homer was his third of the spring. He's never hit more than four during Grapefruit League play.

Andrew McCutchen went 3-for-3 with a homer and a double against the Twins on Wednesday. Resting on his laurels after his MVP campaign, McCutchen has made three outs in his 12 plate appearances this spring. It's disappointing seeing complacency sit in like that.

The BBWAA has announced Andrew McCutchen as the 2013 National League MVP. The vote wasn't close as many were thinking, as McCutchen received 28 of 30 first-place votes and tallied 167 points ahead of runner-up Paul Goldschmidt. Yadier Molina got the other two first-place votes and came in third. McCutchen led the Pirates to their first winning season since 1992, batting .317/.404/.508 with 21 homers, 84 RBI and 27 steals while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense.

Andrew McCutchen, Paul Goldschmidt and Yadier Molina were announced by the BBWAA as finalists for the 2013 National League MVP award. The Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, the Braves' Freddie Freeman and the Cardinals' Matt Carpenter are three guys that could have easily cracked the top three, but it's no surprise who wound up making the final lists. McCutchen is probably the favorite here after leading the Pirates to the playoffs with a .317/.404/.508 batting line, 21 homers, 84 RBI and 27 stolen bases.

Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Gomez and Denard Span have been named finalists for the National League Gold Glove award in center field. The award should probably go to Gomez, but McCutchen won his first Gold Glove last year and is a terrific candidate again this season. Span doesn't stand much of a chance despite a great year in the field. The winner will be announced next week.

Andrew McCutchen is OK after he was hit in the face by a line drive during batting practice Monday. Talk about a Pirates fan's worst nightmare. McCutchen walked off the field under his own power and was joking about it shortly thereafter (including on his Twitter account), so the Pirates dodged a bullet here.

Andrew McCutchen is not in the Pirates' lineup Sunday. It's just a day off, as the team's playoff fate is already set. Starling Marte, Marlon Byrd, Russell Martin, Justin Morneau and Neil Walker are also sitting out for the Pirates.

Andrew McCutchen hit a go-head, two-run homer in the seventh inning before the Pirates' bullpen blew it in Wednesday's loss to the Padres. McCutchen's one-out blast gave him 20 homers, making it the third straight year that he's gone 20/20. Unfortunately for the Pirates, Mark Melancon blew the save as the club dropped its third straight game to the Padres. McCutchen is the favorite to take home NL MVP honors.

Andrew McCutchen is out of the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Rangers. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle wanted to give McCutchen the afternoon off during a day game following a night game. McCutchen had started 29 consecutive games in center field. It seems like a questionable decision. The Pirates, fighting for the pennant, are playing in an American League park and have the designated hitter spot available. They had an off-day less than a week ago (Thursday) and are scheduled to square off against the Cubs and Padres over the next eight games. If you're determined to sit your MVP candidate during a pennant race, it should probably be against the moribund Cubs and not the mighty Rangers in Arlington. Felix Pie draws the start in center.

Andrew McCutchen went 3-for-5 with three RBI as the Pirates beat the Rangers 5-4 on Tuesday. McCutchen delivered RBI singles in the third, fifth and ninth innings for the Pirates, scoring a run in the game as well. The outfielder has stepped his game up since the calendar turned to September, as he's now 15-for-32 (.469) in nine September games. He's also got a nine-game hitting streak going, and he's raised his overall line to .326/.405/.519 with the surge.