Maholm, bullpen sharp in win

By MIKE HENRY
mhenry@bradenton.com

SARASOTA -- His final line might not show it -- three runs allowed, all earned, in five innings -- but left-hander Paul Maholm had another sharp outing in the Pirates' 8-4 victory today against the Reds at Ed Smith Stadium.
Maholm's only rough inning was the fourth, when he gave up back-to-back singles to Brandon Phillips and Edwin Encarnacion, followed by a three-run home run to straightaway center field by first baseman Joey Votto.
As often is the case in spring training, Maholm didn't beat himself up over the homer. The Pirates already were ahead 6-0, and Maholm was doing a little experimenting.
"I was working on throwing first-pitch breaking balls for strikes, I threw one and he (Votto) hit it," said Maholm, who struck out three and walked one. "It's one of those things you get over real quick.
"The whole day was a positive," added Maholm (1-1), who allowed one hit and struck out three in Thursday's four-inning scoreless stint against the Yankees.
"Paulie did a great job today," said Pittsburgh manager John Russell, whose team (8-12) notched its first three-game winning streak of the exhibition season. "He was in good command of all his pitches."
The Pirates also received strong performances from relievers Jonah Bayliss, Hector Carrasco and Casey Fossum, who pitched scoreless innings.