Pirates’ Maholm tames Reds, 5-2

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Maholm pitched eight innings Wednesday while Jason Michaels and Brandon Moss homered to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Cincinnati Reds 5-2.

Ryan Doumit had a two-run double and Michaels and Moss both had two hits for the Pirates.

John Grabow pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.

Corey Patterson and Jay Bruce homered for Cincinnati, which has lost 15 of 18 games.

Maholm (8-7), who improved to 6-1 with a 3.06 ERA at PNC Park this season, allowed seven hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out five in an efficient 97-pitch outing.

The game was played in a crisp 2 hours, 14 minutes.

The left-hander has a 2.81 ERA in his last 14 starts and has pitched at least six innings in his past 18 outings.

Josh Fogg (2-5) breezed through the first four innings, allowing two hits, before running into trouble in the fifth.

Brandon Moss led off with a double, and Michaels followed with his eighth home run. Pittsburgh loaded the bases before Doumit ended Fogg’s night with a drive off the top of the right-field wall that was ruled a double because of fan interference.

Fogg allowed four runs and six hits in four-plus innings. The right-hander, who played for the Pirates from 2002-05, dropped to 1-2 with a 10.42 ERA in four starts against his former team.

Moss hit a solo homer off reliever Mike Lincoln in the eighth. Nate McLouth hit his league-leading 38th double and had two hits for the Pirates. Second baseman Freddy Sanchez, bothered by a sore right shoulder, returned to the starting lineup after pinch-hitting the past two games. He went 0-for-4.

Jeff Keppinger broke out of a 4-for-37 slump with two singles for the Reds.

Notes

Fogg is the all-time leader in victories at PNC Park with 20. Maholm is tied for second with 18. ... The Pirates announced the signing of LHP Justin Wilson, their fifth-round draft choice out of Fresno State. Wilson was the winning pitcher in the deciding game of this year’s College World Series. ... Pirates SS Jack Wilson missed his sixth straight start with a sore right shoulder. ... Pirates 1B Adam LaRoche, on the DL with a strained rib cage, played the third game of a rehab stint with Class A Hickory. Pirates manager John Russell said he will rejoin the team Thursday. ... Cincinnati OF Chris Dickerson, who made his major-league debut Tuesday, was named the organization’s Minor League Player of the Month for July. ... Jolbert Cabrera made his first start of the season in left field for the Reds. ... Patterson’s home run came on his 29th birthday, and Bruce’s shot snapped an 0-for-11 streak.