Pirates close home schedule with win
PITTSBURGH — If only the Pittsburgh Pirates could take a nine-game sliver like this and extend it over 162 games.
Paul Maholm limited Houston to one run over seven innings to win consecutive starts for the first time all season, and the Pirates turned catcher Jason Castro's throwing error into their first two runs during a 9-3 victory over the Astros on Sunday.
Maholm (9-15) avoided adding to his NL-leading loss total, permitting Carlos Lee's two-out RBI double in the first before shutting out Houston over the next six innings.
The Pirates (55-100) added on seven runs during their final two at-bats to finish 7-2 on their final and most successful homestand of the season — avoiding a 101st loss that would have guaranteed them their worst season since they dropped 104 games in 1985.
"We're trying to make people remember we're still playing hard around here and things are moving in the right direction," said rookie Neil Walker, who drove in three runs.
Their 55-100 record during a record 18th consecutive losing season suggests they still have a long way to go. Still, manager John Russell said, "We're getting close and I think the people know that."
Russell is under contract through next season, but it is possible he managed his last game at home. The Pirates are 184-294 in his three seasons, their worst such stretch since the mid-1950s.
"We put a lot of focus on this homestand. Now we need to take it on the road and see what we can do," Russell said.
To date, no team in nearly 50 years has done less on the road than the Pirates.
They went 40-41 at PNC Park but are 15-59 away from there, putting them on pace for the NL's worst road record since the 1963 Mets went 17-64. The 1962 Mets (18-62) are the only other club in either league during the expansion era to win fewer than 20 road games during a 162-game season.
