The game: Andrew McCutchen made two exceptional plays and scored the winning run when Andy Phillips' RBI single in the eighth inning lifted the Pirates past the Cincinnati Reds, 2-1, yesterday at chilly, windswept McKechnie Field.

McCutchen's first gem came in the second inning, as he ran back toward the fence in left field and leaped to spear an Edwin Encarnacion liner. The next came in the eighth, when Paul Janish tried to score from third with one out on a medium-depth fly ball. McCutchen set himself and launched a one-hop strike to catcher Robinzon Diaz for the final out to preserve a 1-1 tie.

McCutchen went 1 for 3 with a walk at the plate, his eighth-inning infield single his first hit of the spring and the one that would result in the winning run. Pedro Alvarez reached on catcher's interference, and Phillips lashed his single into right to make it 2-1.

"The throws are something I worked hard on back in Instructional League," McCutchen said, referring to the Pirates' minor league session here last October. "People have said I don't have an arm, but I feel like I do. I worked on getting back, getting under it and putting everything I have into it. That felt good."

Center fielder Nate McLouth also made a diving catch in the second, and catcher Jason Jaramilo threw out two runners trying to steal second.

"Defense is going to be key for us, so it's nice to see," manager John Russell said. "It shows the importance of all the little things in the game, how they can add up."

The Pirates are 5-1 in Grapefruit League play.

Other news: Donald Fehr, head of the Major League Baseball Players Association, will meet with the Pirates for two hours this morning, part of his annual tour of spring clubhouses. Only players are in the clubhouse during the meeting.

On deck: The Pirates' Ross Ohlendorf will make his first spring start against the Netherlands' Sidney Ponson in an exhibition against that nation's entry into the World Baseball Classic, 1:05 p.m. at McKechnie. Matt Capps, Jesse Chavez, Denny Bautista and Donnie Veal will follow.

Camp roster: 57, with 28 pitchers, six catchers, 14 infielders and nine outfielders.

Injury update: Outfielder Jose Tabata, one of the Pirates' top three prospects, has mild rotator cuff inflammation in his right shoulder, general manager Neal Huntington said after an MRI was performed yesterday. Tabata has no structural damage and can return to activity when feeling better.

Utilityman Luis Cruz, out a week because of a hip flexor, returned and played second base. Expect him to get some outfield duty, too.

Competition: Evan Meek notched his second save with a 1-2-3 ninth, and he now has three scoreless appearances in his bid for bullpen work. Most impressive, given his history of control trouble, he has yet to walk a batter while fanning two.

Fun in the sun: The Pirates nearly turned a triple play in the third.

Jeff Keppinger's grounder was scooped neatly by third baseman Neil Walker, who tagged the runner between second and third in the same motion, flipped to Freddy Sanchez for another out, and on to Adam LaRoche ... but not in time. The crowd initially groaned at umpire Tim Welke's call, then applauded Walker's effort.

"Nah, he was safe," LaRoche said, grinning. "But come on, you've got to give him that."

"I was surprised to see the guy there to tag him," Walker said of the first out. "Everything went nicely after that. If their guy was a step slower, we would have had it."

Inside pitch: The Pirates are impressed enough with Rule 5 draft pick Veal's potential and performance -- three scoreless appearances, one walk -- that he already might have gained a tentative grip on a bullpen spot. Management's priority is the future, and Veal's 95-mph velocity makes him valuable.

Overheard: Outfielder Jeff Salazar, formerly of the Arizona Diamondbacks: "I like what the Pirates are trying to do. It's one thing to talk about it, but there are people around baseball who see what they're doing. And being here, you can just see it in their body language: They're done with the losing."

Meet me in St. Louis: 35 days until the opener.