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Bucs try to get back on track at home versus Cubs

Aug 1, 2011 - 2:41 PM (Sports Network) - Lefty Paul Maholm takes the mound for the suddenly skidding Pittsburgh Pirates tonight when they head home to PNC Park to begin a four- game series with the visiting Chicago Cubs.

The Pirates, one of the surprise success stories in the major leagues this season, have dropped three straight and five of six to fall 4 1/2 games off the pace of the front-running Milwaukee Brewers in the National League's Central Division.

The Pirates came out on the wrong end of a three-game sweep on Sunday in Philadelphia, when Hunter Pence scored the winning run in his second game in a Phillies uniform on Raul Ibanez's RBI double in the 10th inning, sending Philadelphia over Pittsburgh, 6-5.

Tony Watson (0-2) surrendered the final run to take the loss.

Pirates starter Jeff Karstens held the Phillies to three runs on seven hits in seven innings and was in line for the win before Jose Veras coughed up Ibanez's two-run shot in the eighth.

Ryan Howard was thrown out at third on a Pence grounder to short prior to the home run.

Maholm, a veteran of 181 big-league starts, has pitched to an earned run average nearly two runs better than his 2010 figure - 5.10 to 3.16 - so far this season, in spite of winning just six decisions in 22 starts.

The former first-round draft pick (eighth overall, 2003) won four of five decisions to get to 6-9 on the year with a 9-1 defeat of the Cubs on July 10, allowing a run on four hits in 7 2/3 innings.

He's 0-1 with two no-decisions since, giving up a combined 28 hits and nine runs in 18 innings against Houston, St. Louis and Atlanta.

Maholm is 9-2 lifetime against Chicago with a 4.98 ERA in 16 starts.

The Cubs send Venezuelan righty Carlos Zambrano to the mound in search of a 13th career defeat of the Pirates.

The 30-year-old was last a winner on July 22 against Houston, when he scattered nine hits in six innings of a 4-2 triumph.

He was beaten, 2-0, at Milwaukee in his most recent outing on July 27 after allowing two runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Chicago is 11-10 in Zambrano's 21 starts in 2011.

On Sunday in St. Louis, Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run homer and Ryan Dempster tossed six-plus solid innings, as the Cubs held off St. Louis, 6-3, to avoid a three-game sweep.

Marlon Byrd drove in two runs and scored a run for the Cubs, who snapped a five-game skid. Carlos Pena and Starlin Castro added an RBI apiece.

Dempster (8-8) allowed three runs on seven hits to snap a two-start losing streak. The right-hander struck out six and walked one.

Pittsburgh has won six of its nine meetings with the Cubs this season.