Andrew McCutchen homers 3 times as Pirates hand Nationals fourth straight loss, 11-6

Pirates’ McCutchen hits 3 homers in win over Nats

PITTSBURGH — Andrew McCutchen homered three times and had a career-high six RBIs, and the Pittsburgh Pirates handed the Washington Nationals their fourth straight loss, 11-6 on Saturday night.

McCutchen, a rookie, doubled his home run total by hitting three shots to left — one just inside the foul pole to lead off the first, one with Brandon Moss aboard in the fourth and another Moss and Ramon Vazquez on to give Pittsburgh an 11-4 lead in the sixth.

With a chance at a record-tying fourth homer in the eighth, McCutchen grounded into a double play. He singled and scored on Lastings Milledge’s two-run double in the third and finished 4 for 5 with four runs scored.

McCutchen became the first Pirates player to connect three times in a game since Aramis Ramirez on April 8, 2001, at Houston.

Moss and Andy LaRoche each had two hits with two runs and an RBI for Pittsburgh, which has won two straight against Washington since breaking a five-game losing streak.

Ryan Zimmerman and ex-Pirate Nyjer Morgan each had three hits for the Nationals.

McCutchen, who was the recipient of the first curtain call of the season at PNC Park, became the 10th Pirates player to hit three homers in a game. It has now happened 17 times in club history.

Each homer came off a different pitcher: Craig Stammen and relievers Tyler Clippard and Logan Kensing.

His second and third homers highlighted four-run innings.

LaRoche had and RBI triple and Moss a run-scoring single in the fourth ahead of McCutchen. In the sixth, Cedeno had an RBI grounder.

Ramon Vasquez (2-5) earned the win but probably didn’t pitch well enough to keep his job. Pittsburgh acquired starter Kevin Hart in a trade with the Chicago Cubs Thursday and said he will enter the rotation.

Vasquez allowed two runs in the first but recovered and was charged with three runs on nine hits with two walks and two strikeouts in five innings.

Stammen (3-6) allowed six runs on eight hits. The Nationals had won three of his previous four starts.

NOTES: Darnell Coles was the last Pirates player to hit three homers at home, on Sept. 30, 1987. … Hall of Famers Ralph Kiner and Willie Stargell each hit three homers in a game four times for Pittsburgh. Roberto Clemente is the only other player in team history to do it twice. … Houston’s Vinny Castilla had been the only player to homer three times in a game at PNC Park. He did it in a 9-8 loss to the Pirates July 8, 2001. … Elijah Dukes went 0 for 3 with a walk and a sacrifice fly in his first game since a month-long demotion to Triple-A Syracuse. … Washington SS Cristian Guzman extended his Nationals record by having at least two hits and an RBI for the seventh consecutive game. … Morgan’s throwing error in the fourth was the Nationals’ first error in eight games — the team’s longest such streak since Aug. 30-Sept. 5, 2005.