Paul Maholm celebrates with Adam LaRoche after shutting out the Astros last night at PNC Park.
By Paul Meyer
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Talk about a quick fix.
Paul Maholm accomplished that feat in rapid-fire fashion last night at PNC Park.
The left-hander tossed a three-hit, one-walk gem at the Houston Astros in the Pirates' 3-0 victory.
Paul Maholm recorded his first career shutout against the Astros last night at PNC Park.
It was Maholm's first professional complete game, and he finished it in three minutes under two hours and one pitch under 100.
"A fantastic performance," manager Jim Tracy said. "He was terrific."
Maholm threw his shutout minutes after Tracy went through Maholm's problems before the game.
Falling behind on counts. Not throwing first-pitch strikes. Allowing runs in first innings. Running up high pitch counts that forced early exits.
All that was rectified with stunning quickness.
"He was around the plate with everything," Tracy said. "He got early-count swings. He did exactly what he's capable of doing on a regular basis."
"I was throwing my changeup for strikes, my sinker for strikes," said Maholm, who notched 64 strikes in his 99 pitches. "It was one of those nights when I was in a zone."
Houston manager Phil Garner didn't quite see it that way.
"I think it was us more than him," Garner said. "He pitched well, but we didn't do a good job at the plate. We stunk. We hit one ball good. We didn't square up the ball much, and, when we did, we missed it."
Maholm got 14 ground-ball outs, and all three Houston hits were on ground balls.
Craig Biggio had two of three hits. He opened the game with a first-pitch single to left.
"The focus then is on getting a ground ball and getting a double play," Maholm said.
As easy said as done.
Chris Burke bounced to shortstop Jack Wilson. Two outs.
Biggio also led off the fourth with a single to right, but Ronny Paulino threw him out trying to steal.
Humberto Quintero led off the sixth with a bouncer to the left of third baseman Jose Bautista. He gloved the ball a few feet in front of Wilson, who seemed to have an easier play, then threw hurriedly high and wide to first base.
That was the third and last Houston hit and baserunner.
Paulino made a good play on pitcher Woody Williams' popped-up bunt and forced Quintero at second.
Maholm retired the next eight batters routinely, then went to the mound for the ninth.
"It's been a few years since I even got to go out for the ninth," said Maholm, the Pirates' top draft pick in 2003.
"You want him to finish it," said left-hander Tom Gorzelanny, picked in the second round behind Maholm in 2003. "He'd been dealing the whole game."
"We were all rooting for him," left-hander Zach Duke said. "You just hoped he get quick outs."
Maholm, perhaps rushing a bit, went 3-1 on pinch-hitter Morgan Ensberg, who was scratched from the starting lineup because of a hyperextended left ankle.
"I threw a four-seamer to challenge him," Maholm said. "I thought, 'It's me or you,' and considering the way it had been going for me, I was banking on me."
Ensberg fouled out to Paulino near the Pirates' dugout -- from where Tracy was poised to come had Ensberg reached base.
"If Ensberg [had gotten on], I'm taking him out," Tracy said. "And I'd have been soundly booed. But I think with [Lance] Berkman and [Carlos] Lee looming, you have to give your closer some room for error."
Paul Maholm pitched the first shutout and complete game of his career to lead the Pirates over the Astros, 3-0.
Salomon Torres, though, never moved from the bullpen.
Maholm got Biggio on a bouncer to Wilson, and then, with the crowd on its feet, finished his masterpiece by getting Burke on a fly to left.
"Awesome," said Duke, who authored the previous complete-game shutout by a Pirate last May 2 in Chicago.
Offensively, as Tracy said, the Pirates "got just enough to win."
The Pirates scored a run in each of the first three innings.
Williams hit Chris Duffy with a pitch to begin the first, a good sign for the Pirates.
"He has a chance to be a tremendous offensive catalyst," Tracy said of Duffy. "We get easy runs when he gets on base."
And apparently easy runs when he isn't on base any longer.
Quintero threw out Duffy trying to steal with a great throw, but Wilson, who entered the game 2 for 27 lifetime against Williams, doubled over right fielder Jason Lane's head.
Freddy Sanchez failed to advance Wilson, bouncing to shortstop, but Jason Bay doubled over center fielder Burke's head, scoring Wilson.
Paulino's first home of the season -- a drive into the center-field shrubbery on a 3-2 pitch -- made it 2-0 in the second.
Wilson opened the third with a double inside third. Again, Sanchez couldn't advance him, bouncing to the mound, but Bay, 1 for 9 lifetime against Williams at game time, picked Sanchez up with a run-scoring single to center.
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