J. Upton robs fellow All-Star McCutchen of HR

PITTSBURGH -- On Monday, Padres outfielder Justin Upton was named to the National League All-Star team, an honor bestowed upon him for his offensive merits this season.

On a wet Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, Upton used his glove to rob another All-Star, Andrew McCutchen, of a two-run home run with an over-the-fence grab in the fifth inning of a 3-2 loss to the Pirates.

Make that well over the six-foot-high fence in left field at PNC Park.

"I'm saying that's the best one this year," said Padres interim manager Pat Murphy. "I try to watch all the great ones here and there. That was a great catch.

"It was just something unbelievable, and it was a two-run catch."

With Neil Walker at first base, McCutchen was ahead in the count, 2-0, and was presumably sitting on a fastball from Padres reliever Marcos Mateo. He got one and did what he usually does with those -- put a charge into it to left field.

Upton raced back toward the fence and sized up the ball before timing his leap, extending well above the top of the fence to bring back what would have been McCutchen's 11th home run.

After the catch, Upton doffed his cap in the direction of the Padres' dugout. His teammates did the same.

Video: SD@PIT: J. Upton traps liner, gets force at second

"That was a huge catch," said Padres pitcher Tyson Ross, who started the game, but pitched two innings before a 1-hour, 42-minute rain delay. "Off the bat, it looked like McCutchen had a homer and he went up, probably two [feet higher than the fence] and took it back.

"Those [over-the-fence grabs] are one of the most exciting plays in baseball."

That grab briefly preserved the Padres' 2-1 lead. But the next batter, Jung Ho Kang, tripled to right field to bring home Walker to tie the game. Pittsburgh scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning after trailing 2-0 early to rally for the victory.