Recap: Pittsburgh vs. St. Louis
Sports Network | September 12, 2008
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Paul Maholm was stellar in eight-plus innings and Nate McLouth drove in five runs, as the Pittsburgh Pirates battered the St. Louis Cardinals, 10-2, in the opener of a three-game series.
McLouth collected three hits, falling a single shy of the cycle, and scored three times for Pittsburgh, which slammed the brakes on a six-game losing streak. Luis Cruz went 3-for-5 and scored twice, while Brandon Moss had two RBI.
Maholm (9-8) gave up two runs on seven hits to get the victory. The left- hander helped his own cause, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
Mark Johnson drove in a run for the Cardinals, who have lost three games in a row and find themselves five games behind Milwaukee in the NL wild card standings. The Brewers' game in Philadelphia on Friday was rained out.
Joel Pineiro (6-6) absorbed the loss after allowing seven runs on eight hits in four-plus innings of work.
Pittsburgh loaded the bases with no outs in the first, but came away with just one run via a Moss sacrifice fly. The Pirates picked up two more runs in the third on McLouth's 25th home run of the season. Cruz had a one-out single and the Pittsburgh center fielder followed with a rocket to the seats in right.
The Pirates then broke the game open with a six-spot in the fifth. Three consecutive hits by Maholm, Nyjer Morgan and Cruz to begin the frame loaded the bags for McLouth, who lined a bases-clearing double, his 43rd of the season, to right.
Randy Flores replaced Pineiro and fanned Adam LaRoche. A two-bagger by Moss chased home McLouth and, after Andy LaRoche grounded out, Raul Chavez singled and Brian Bixler walked to load the bases for Maholm, who sliced a two-run single to left for a 9-0 Pirates advantage.
Adam LaRoche gave the Pirates a 10-run cushion with a sac fly in the sixth.
Maholm started the ninth inning in search of his second career shutout, but three straight hits by Josh Phelps, Aaron Miles and Johnson plated a run. Romulo Sanchez relieved Maholm after Felipe Lopez singled to load the bases. Nick Stavinoha then bounced into a 5-4-3 double play, scoring Miles, and pinch-hitter Adam Kennedy flied out to end the game.
The start of the game was delayed one hour, 13 minutes because of rain...Maholm has allowed two runs or fewer in 11 of his last 14 trips to the mound...Pittsburgh pitcher Tom Gorzelanny will miss the rest of the season because of a ligament sprain in his left middle finger.
