Sun Apr 27 16:19:32 2008

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Maholm tosses complete game as Bucs avoid sweep

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Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Paul Maholm tossed a two-hit complete game and Nate McLouth slammed a pair of home runs, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates salvage the finale of their three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-1, at PNC Park.

Maholm (2-2) threw just 99 pitches over his nine innings, allowing but the one run when Pat Burrell and Eric Bruntlett got to him for hits in the fifth. The 25-year-old left-hander walked four and struck out just two, but was remarkably efficient in earning the third complete game of his career.

McLouth finished with three runs batted in, blasting a leadoff homer in the first and a two-run shot in the fifth that provided more than enough offense for his pitcher. Jose Bautista went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Jason Bay, Adam LaRoche and Luis Rivas had two hits apiece for the Pirates, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Brett Myers (2-2) was tagged for four runs on eight hits over his five innings, striking out five but surrendering the two blasts to McLouth. Bruntlett drove in the lone run for Philadelphia, which had a three-game win streak halted and ended its seven-game road trip at 5-2.

McLouth put the Pirates up 1-0 in the bottom of the first when he launched a leadoff homer deep into the seats in right. Maholm, meanwhile, faced the minimum 12 batters through the opening four frames, getting a pair of double plays to erase the only two baserunners, who each reached on walks.

Pittsburgh struck for another run in the home fourth, as LaRoche lined a two- out single and moved to second on Myers' wild pitch. Bautista then brought LaRoche home with a ground-ball single through the middle before getting cut down at the plate by Phillies center fielder Jayson Werth trying to score on Rivas' single.

Burrell got the first hit against Maholm with one out in the fifth, a double down the left-field line, and scored on a two-out single by Bruntlett to trim the lead in half.

McLouth, however, got that run and more back in the home half, drilling a 2-1 slider just over the high fence in right for a one-out, two-run homer that put Pittsburgh ahead 4-1.

Rudy Seanez came on for Myers in the sixth and allowed back-to-back singles by LaRoche and Bautista. Rivas grounded into a double play, but LaRoche scored on the play, stretching the Pirates lead to four runs.

Ryan Madson and Clay Condrey kept Philly within four with scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth, respectively, but Maholm continued to be stingy. He worked around one-out walks in the sixth and seventh, then retired the Phils in order in the eighth and ninth to finish his gem.

Game Notes

Maholm's two previous complete games both came during the 2007 season, with the most recent one occurring on August 13 of last year against the San Francisco Giants...Of his 99 pitches, Maholm threw 56 strikes; by comparison Myers threw 80 pitches -- 52 strikes -- in four fewer innings...The game took just two hours, 17 minutes...Attendance was 17,588.