Left-hander Paul Maholm, quite frankly, would not be the opening-day starter on many other clubs. After all, he was 9-9 with a 3.71 ERA in 31 starts last season.
Yet, Maholm will be on the mound Monday when the Pirates open against the Cardinals and Adam Wainwright at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Maholm's nine victories were enough to lead the Pirates, who went 67-95 for their third consecutive last-place finish in the National League Central and 16th straight losing season, which tied the major league record set by the 1933-48 Philadelphia Phillies.
In fairness, Maholm made nine quality starts where he did not receive a decision, tying the New York Mets' Johan Santana for the most in the major leagues.
The Pirates look at Maholm as the pitcher they want to build their staff around. That is why they avoided arbitration with the 26-year-old in January by signing him to a three-year, $14.5-million contract.
"One of the great things about Paul is you know what you're getting from him every day," manager John Russell said. "He is going to come to the clubhouse, get his work in and do everything he can to prepare for his next start. Then when his day comes to pitch, you know he is going to consistently give you a chance to win."
Maholm was the model of consistency during the final four months of 2008 as he had a 3.11 ERA from May 31 until the end of the season, the ninth-lowest mark in the NL and fourth-best among left-handers behind Milwaukee's C.C. Sabathia (1.65), Santana (2.13) and Philadelphia's Cole Hamels (3.04).
Maholm also made 20 consecutive starts of six innings or more from May 8-Aug. 24. The last Pirates pitcher to have a streak that long was Rick Rhoden in 1986 with 21.
Maholm's 206 1/3 innings ranked third among NL lefties last season behind Santana (234 1/3) and Hamels (227 1/3).
THE PIRATES WILL CONTEND IF ...: The pitching staff comes up big after finishing last in the National League with a 5.08 ERA last season. The Pirates have a potentially good young rotation with LHP Paul Maholm, RHP Ian Snell, LHP Zach Duke and RHP Ross Ohlendorf, while the back end of the bullpen should be solid with RHP Matt Capps as the closer and LHP John Grabow and RHP Tyler Yates as the setup men.
PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON: RHP Ross Ohlendorf has been dominant through the exhibition season. He gives the Pirates the hard-throwing righty they lacked in the rotation. He seems poised for a breakout at age 26.
ON THE DECLINE: LF Nyjer Morgan struggled to get on base throughout the spring, which is not a good thing for a leadoff hitter. Many scouts feel he will be exposed by playing regularly.
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