I officially feel bad for Paul Maholm. He can’t catch a break. The Pirates offense was unable to do anything against Hiroki Kuroda. The game was scoreless through five. But Maholm surrendered two runs in the sixth and that was enough.
Kuroda didn’t allow a base hit until Brandon Wood’s one out single in the fifth. Maholm matched him with goose eggs until that fateful sixth inning. He started the inning by walking Ivan DeJesus (yep, the son of Ivan DeJesus). Andre Ethier singled (I read he is having a pretty good year) as Maholm and Lyle Overbay couldn’t decide who should field his grounder and who should cover first. Matt Kemp walked. Big trouble. Bases juiced. No one out. But Juan Uribe bounced into a double play that scored one run. Rod Barajas was walked to bring up Jerry Sands, but he didn’t comply by making an out. Instead he doubled. That scored Ethier with the second and final run of the game.
The Pirates managed just three singles and three walks off of Kuroda in seven innings. He struck out eight. Maholm deserved better. He went six and gave up five hits and five walks. Both Dodger runs were allowed by him. Vicente Padilla gave up a two out double to Pedro Alvarez in the ninth but whiffed Brandon Wood to end the game.
The Good
I’ll take that outing from Maholm 35 times a year.
The bullpen tossed three hitless innings.
The Bad
Bucs were whiffed eleven times.
Where’s the lumber?
The Rest
Pirates have struck out in double digits 13 times in 2011.
This is the fourth time they have been shutout in 2011. They have scored three or fewer runs 17 times and are 3-14 in those games.
Kuroda is now 4-1 lifetime against Pittsburgh. He has given up just one run in his last 15 innings against the Bucs.
Maholm is now 0-5 in eight career starts against LA.
Neil Walker was pulled from the lineup due to flu-like symptoms.
