Game #76: Pirates @ Marlins: Who are you and what have you done with Paul Maholm?

Um, will the real Paul Maholm please stand up? The man who's been an enigma the entire season (and his career) appears to have settled down and become a real life big league pitcher before our eyes. He'll never been an ace or even a #2 pitcher but he's certainly become a very good pitcher for this team. He's gone atleast 7 innings in 5 of his last 7 starts (and went 6 2/3 in another) allowing 4 ER or lower in each start. Don't be shocked, those are great numbers. They are put into even great light when you figure that (as noted in the MLB.com Wrap of the game) that the Pirates are 24-15 this season when they score at least four runs.

The difference I see more than anything in that 7 game stretch is Maholm's sinker and control. He will never be a dominating, top of the rotation pitcher. That's not his style. He pitches to contact and let's the fielders do their job. However since he's found his control and his sinker has become a really good out pitch, it's easier for him to keep the ball down. Keeping the ball down means ground balls and those usually equal outs. This is evidenced by the fact that in his first 9 starts, when he was atrocious (the one CG shutout withstanding) he allowed 10 Hr's or a little over 1 per game and in three of those starts allowing more than one HR. However in his last 7 starts he's only allowed...4 home runs. It's really tough to jack a ball out when it's consistently hitting the bottom of the strike zone. The average player can't do anything with that pitch but hit a grounder. In short, Paul Maholm has become Jamie Moyer (minus about 20 years). That's a return I'll take for the eighth pick in the first round. Let's hope he can keep up, the future is bright for this team if Maholm can team with Snell and Gorzelanny at the top of the rotation. Now if Zach Duke can just figure it out...