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Maholm, McLouth pace Pirates past Phillies

Apr 27, 2008 - 9:40 PM By David Assad PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- A much-maligned pitching staff got a respite from Paul Maholm, who tossed a two-hitter Sunday to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The win snapped Pittsburgh's three-game losing streak against the Phillies, who had won six of their previous seven games.

Maholm (2-2) took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, the only frame in which Philadelphia did any damage against the 25-year-old lefthander. He threw 56 of 99 pitches for strikes.

It was the first quality start by a Pittsburgh pitcher since April 22, when Maholm posted a 3-2 victory over the Florida Marlins.

"You don't expect somebody to go nine innings, but that's a huge lift, not only for our offense, defense and bullpen, but for our other starters," Pirates manager John Russell said. "They have something they can grasp hold of and say, 'Hey, we can do this.'"

Maholm's performance came after the Pirates released veteran pitcher Matt Morris earlier Sunday.

"It's not only a great job by Paulie, but it shows the rest of our starters that we're OK," Russell added. "He had life (on his pitches). He kept the ball down and threw his off-speed pitches effectively. To keep a pretty good team like Philadelphia off balance, you're doing some pretty good things."

Maholm lowered his ERA to 3.26, the best among the Pirates' rotation. Pittsburgh entered Sunday's game with a staff ERA of 5.62. The starters were 4-12 with a 6.13 ERA. Maholm, who had two complete games last year, pitched the first one for the Pirates this season.

Nate McLouth led Pittsburgh's 12-hit attack Sunday with a pair of home runs. He staked the Pirates to a 1-0 lead with a leadoff homer in the first inning, then added a two-run shot in the fifth, extending the Pirates' lead to 4-1.

"I happened to get a couple of good pitches to hit and I didn't miss them," McLouth said. "It was obviously a sorely needed win to end the home stand. Paul gave us the type of start that we needed. It was more than you could ask for. He was really the big story."

McLouth, who began the season with a 19-game hitting streak, endured an 0-for-15 slump earlier this week but has rebounded with four hits and a walk in his last eight plate appearances. Three of those hits have been home runs.

"When you're hitting the ball hard, you're seeing it well and things are slowing down for you," said McLouth, who is batting .333 with five home runs and 21 RBI for the season. "When we get up a couple of runs, the pitcher can relax and pitch the type of game he wants to pitch."

Phillies starter Brett Myers (2-2) struggled through five innings, allowing four runs and eight hits.

"I haven't seen a fastball," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of Myers. "It topped out today at 89. Myers is usually like 92-94."

"They say you go through dead-arm periods," Myers added. "It's never lasted for six starts. I'm not the guy that's gonna make excuses. It's kind of a learning experience."

With his wife expecting on Monday, Maholm was able to keep his focus on Philadelphia's hitters.

"My goal is to always go out there and give some quality innings to take pressure off the bullpen," he said. "It was fun to throw the final pitch. The game's over and now I can go be with my wife and enjoy the birth of our first one."