PITTSBURGH — A disputed call that went against them may have been exactly what the Pittsburgh Pirates needed to end a terrible slide.

Xavier Nady's two-run single completed a three-run Pirates comeback after a questionable call apparently cost them a run in the sixth inning, and Pittsburgh ended a six-game losing streak by beating Florida 3-2 Tuesday night.

Paul Maholm (1-2) limited the Marlins to one run and four hits over six innings, ending a slide in which Pirates starting pitchers had an 11.38 ERA over the six games. The Marlins' three-game winning streak was also halted.

Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco (1-2) allowed only one hit, Maholm's single, over five shutout innings and appeared to get a break in the sixth when second base umpire Scott Barry called Nate McLouth out at second on a steal attempt. TV replays showed McLouth coming up from his pop-up slide, his foot on the base, before being tagged by second baseman Dan Uggla.

The call, argued briefly by manager John Russell, may have shaken the Pirates out of their slump. They responded with four consecutive two-out hits, with Freddy Sanchez and Jason Bay getting singles ahead of Ryan Doumit's game-tying RBI double.

"We could have rolled over there, but we came back with some pretty good at-bats," Russell said. "We've gone through some tough times, but hopefully this is what it takes to get out of it."

Nady ran his hitting streak to 10 games with a single that made it 3-1 and gave Maholm his first win in seven starts since beating Colorado on Aug. 23. The Pirates were outscored 58-16 by their opponents during the losing streak.