MLB Nightly 9: Andrew McCutchen hits walkoff, two-run HR in 14th inning

Alec Brzezinski

MLB Nightly 9: Andrew McCutchen hits walkoff, two-run HR in 14th inning image

Each night we'll provide you with the nine top story lines from the day's action, beginning with the stars of the day, and look ahead to the next day's matchups. 

"Cutch" was clutch on Saturday.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the 14th inning with one man on and no outs, down by one. After falling behind 0-and-2 in the count, McCutchen turned things around in a big way, bashing a two-run shot off Nick Greenwood to beat the Cardinals 6-5.

Jhonny Peralta had just put the Cardinals up by a run in the top of the 14th with a RBI single, driving in Matt Carpenter, but saw his heroics erased. This was the seventh extra-innings game between the two teams since 2013, but only the second won by Pittsburgh.

Here are more highlights from Saturday's games:

Impact Players:

C — J.T. Realmuto, Marlins: Realmuto went 3 for 5 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored in a blowout win against the Reds.

1B — Mitch Moreland, Rangers: Moreland bashed two solo home runs off James Shields but couldn't stop the Padres from rallying back to win.

2B — Danny Espinosa, Nationals: Espinosa went 2 for 4 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored in a win against the Orioles.

SS — Jose Reyes, Blue Jays: Reyes did a little bit of everything in a win against the Royals. He went 3 for 4 with a run, an RBI and three stolen bases.

3B — Yangervis Solarte, Padres; Matt Duffy, Giants: Solarte was the hero with a two-run, go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth inning against the Rangers. He ended the game 2 for 3 with three runs and two RBIs. Duffy went 3 for 5 with a triple, a double, a run scored and two RBIs.

OF — The Milwaukee Brewers: Yes, the entire outfield went off against the Dodgers. Carlos Gomez drove in five runs on a pair of doubles to lead the way, Gerardo Parra went 3 for 5 with a home run and two RBIs, and Ryan Braun came around to score twice on a 1-for-4 night.

DH — Matt Kemp, Padres: Kemp went 2 for 4 with a home run, two RBIs and a walk.

SP — Chris Sale, White Sox: Sale hurled seven innings of one-run baseball, while striking out 10, in a win against the Cubs.

Key Injuries:

Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon left Saturday's game with a dislocated thumb and is expected to be out for a "while." According to Fox Sports, Gordon did not break his thumb or suffer any ligament damage. He did go 3 for 4 on the night.

Cubs catcher Miguel Montero left Saturday's game with a jammed left thumb.

Braves closer Jason Grilli left Saturday's game with a ruptured Achilles and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Play of the Day:

The Dark Knight strikes with his first career home run:

Surprise Performers:

Good: The Miami Marlins: Despite losing All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon to injury, the Marlins put up 14 runs against the Reds on Saturday. Cole Gillespie went 3 for 5 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs, while Christian Yelich went 3 for 5 with two runs scored and two RBIs, as he continues to heat up.

Bad: The Houston Astros: The Astros have lost five games in a row. Even ace Dallas Keuchel couldn't save them Saturday.

Facts of the Day:

Mark Buehrle joined some illustrious company:

Nationals manager Matt Williams said Max Scherzer will pitch Sunday, so he won't be allowed to pitch in the All-Star Game.

It's not easy starting your MLB career against Chris Sale:

Carlos Gonzalez also hit a walkoff:

What's going on with pitchers these days?

Whichever way you look at it, Batman is better than you at baseball:

This was a pretty special moment:

Trade Talk:

Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin believes trade rumors are affecting Cole Hamels' performance.

"I can’t remember a time where I’ve seen him pitch like that," Mackanin said, via CSN Philly. "There’s a lot going on and it affected him. But I know he’s much better than that. Who knows, he might be pressing knowing that the trading deadline is coming around. There’s so many little things that players think about that you can’t control."

The Pirates are interested in trading for Phillies outfielder Jeff Francoeur and other bench bats, according to FOX Sports.

The Padres have spoken to other clubs to gauge the possible trade interest in James Shields, Peter Gammons reports.

Off the Field:

Fresh off Friday's heroics, Twins second baseman

.@Twins 2B @BrianDozier named to AL #ASG roster, replacing the injured Jose Bautista. pic.twitter.com/ywtgVjk8mq

— MLB (@MLB) July 11, 2015 " target="_blank">Brian Dozier has been named a member of the AL All-Star team in place of the injured Jose Bautista.

The Red Sox placed starting pitcher Clay Buchholz on the 15-day DL with a right flexor strain.

The Tigers signed relief pitcher Neftali Feliz to a major league contract.

The Rockies recalled relief pitcher Rex Brothers from Triple-A Albuquerque.

Scores:

American League:

Blue Jays 6, Royals 2
Rays 3, Astros 0
Twins 9, Tigers 5
Athletics 5, Indians 4
Red Sox 5, Yankees 3
Mariners 5, Angels 0

National League:

Mets 4, Diamondbacks 2
Marlins 14, Reds 3
Rockies 3, Braves 2
Pirates 6, Cardinals 5 (14)
Brewers 7, Dodgers 1
Giants 8, Phillies 5

Interleague:

White Sox 5, Cubs 1
Nationals 7, Orioles 4
Padres 6, Rangers 5

A Look Ahead: (All times Eastern)

Athletics (40-50) at Indians (42-45) 1:10 p.m.: This game doesn't have a lot of playoff implications, with both teams struggling, but whenever two pitchers such as Sonny Gray (9-3, 2.20 ERA) and Corey Kluber (4-9, 3.45 ERA) face off, we'll be interested. Kluber already has 148 strikeouts in 125 1/3 innings pitched, including 31 in his past three starts.

Tigers (44-43) at Twins (48-40) 2:10 p.m.: The Twins are looking to win three in a row against the Tigers on Sunday and take the bite out of the once-mighty division foes. Kyle Gibson (7-6, 3.04 ERA) faces off against the recently promoted Shane Greene (4-6, 5.82 ERA) in a big series finale.

Cardinals (56-32) at Pirates (52-35) 8:05 p.m.: The Pirates won in dramatic fashion Saturday and have a chance to win the four-game series as Francisco Liriano (5-6, 2.99 ERA) toes the rubber against Tim Cooney (0-0, 3.95 ERA).

Alec Brzezinski