Maholm’s scoreless streak is extended

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

The previous time he faced the Mets, Paul Maholm was angry at himself for “screwing up” one of the few times this season the Pittsburgh Pirates gave him sufficient run support.

Maholm was so mad after allowing New York to come back from a 7-0 deficit on June 2 that he hasn’t allowed a run since.

The left-hander pitched seven shutout innings, Brandon Wood homered and the Pirates beat the Mets 3-1 on Monday night to split their four-game series.

“When it’s game day, it’s time to go compete and have fun,” Maholm said. “When I get on the mound, my focus is to get the first guy of an inning out and get groundballs. That’s how it’s been going lately, and hopefully I can continue to get in a groove and stay that way.”

Maholm (3-7) lowered his ERA to 3.12, allowing only three hits and two walks. Hampered by poor offensive support, he won for just the second time since April 25.

Maholm allowed only one hit over six innings in his previous start Wednesday, but for the fourth time this season the bullpen cost him a win when it blew a save.

“Sometimes, a pitcher is too worried about making a mistake if there’s no room for error or no large safety net to work with,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “In Paul’s case, he’s seen a lot, been through a lot, thrown a lot of innings. I know for a fact he’s really comfortable with the way he’s pitching now.”

Despite being outscored 18-7, Pittsburgh split a four-game series with New York for the second time in two weeks. The Pirates are 3-3 in their past six games despite scoring only 10 runs in that time.

“Paul’s been throwing the heck out of it,” Wood said. “Our pitching staff’s been phenomenal.

“It’s always good to get your guy a win, especially when they’re pitching their tail off and throwing like they’ve been throwing,” he added. “I’m sure that’s a little frustrating when we’re not hitting and putting runs on the board.”

Joel Hanrahan tossed a perfect ninth for his 17th save in as many opportunities.