Pirates finish 1st half strong

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Paul Maholm and his Pirates teammates aren’t looking at the National League Central standings or checking the out-of-town scores.

Too early in the season, the lefty starter said. Funny, because it’s been a long time since Pittsburgh’s been this good this late.

Andrew McCutchen homered and drove in five runs, and the Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 9-1 on Sunday to enter the All-Star break with their best record in 19 years.

“It’s early, and everybody in here understands that we’re going day-to-day and series-to-series,” Maholm said. The Pirates remained a game behind St. Louis and Milwaukee in the National League Central when both also won on Sunday.

“If we keep winning series, other stuff will take care of itself,” Maholm added. “If we get to Sept. 15 or 20, then that will be time to worry about that stuff, but now it’s win series and continue to be playing well and having fun.”

The Pirates did that in front of another big crowd (31,428) at PNC Park on Sunday, improving to 7-1-1 in their past nine home series.

Maholm allowed one run in 72/3 innings, and McCutchen had a three-run homer and two sacrifice flies. Neil Walker went 3 for 4, and Alex Presley had two hits and scored two runs for Pittsburgh.

The surprising Pirates (47-43) have their best record and are closer to first place this late in the season than at any time since their most recent winning season in 1992.

“We’re getting our wins and competing with every single team,” McCutchen said. “It’s real good to finish up [the first half] strong.”

Rookie Darwin Barney had two hits for the Cubs, who have lost seven of 10.

A day after he made the All-Star team for the first time, McCutchen already had a sacrifice fly when he came up with Presley and Walker aboard in the third. He sent an 0-1 pitch from Ramon Ortiz (0-2) into the Cubs’ bullpen in left-center for his 14th homer.

During both the first and third innings, Presley singled and Walker hit a one-out double before McCutchen came up.

Walker tripled leading off the fifth to chase Ortiz. He scored on McCutchen’s fly ball against Chris Carpenter.

Maholm (6-9) allowed four hits, finishing with eight strikeouts and no walks. The left-hander improved to 9-2 in his career against the Cubs and has allowed only one run in 231/3 innings against them this season.

Reed Johnson scored on Aramis Ramirez’s fielder’s choice in the fourth for Chicago’s first run off Maholm in 19 innings this season. Johnson started the inning with a double and moved to third on Starlin Castro’s single.

The only other hits Maholm were by Barney, in the sixth and eighth.

Chris Resop got Johnson to fly out to end the eighth, and Jose Veras finished the four-hitter.

Since shutting out Chicago on May 28, Maholm is 5-2 with a 2.29 ERA in nine starts.