The race for the National League batting title has become a two-man sprint to the finish between Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen and San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey. And with two weeks left in the season there is still time for Posey to make up ground, or for McCutchen to pull away.
McCutchen went 1-3 in the Pirates 6-2 loss to the New York Mets on Monday, pushing his batting average to .336 for the season. He is batting .248 (7-29) over the last seven days with nine games left on the Pirates schedule.
As for Posey, he got the day off on Sunday after the Giants clinched the NL West Saturday night, then had an off day Monday. He currently has a .332 average, batting .278 (5-18) over the last seven days. He and the Giants also have nine games left in the regular season, though Buster may see more off days with the division title already wrapped up.
Both men were trailing suspended Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera and his .346 average until he asked the league to be removed from the running late last week.
For more on the Giants, please make sure to check out McCovey Chronicles.
