House of Horrors

By John Franco

Friday night, Paul Maholm will take the mound in Milwaukee, facing Zack Greinke and the Brewers. Earlier this week, the Pirates took 2 of 3 from the Giants, ended their 10-game losing streak and removed a little bit of the weight from Maholm’s shoulders. But he’ll still have a massive burden to bear: the Pirates’ recent history in Miller Park.

On Friday the 13th in May, the Pirates went to Milwaukee for the first time in the 2011 season. They lost that game, 5-2, as Ryan Braun drove in 3 runs and James McDonald allowed all 5 runs in 4 innings of work. The Pirates also dropped the next 2 games as the Brewers completed their sweep, improving their record to 19-21 on the season. That wasn’t a great record at the time, but it was noteworthy because the Pirates started the series one game ahead of the Brewers and finished it at 18-22, one game behind them in the standings.

On April 26, 2010, the Brewers pounded the Pirates 17-3 in their first Miller Park visit of the season. The Pirates rebounded to beat the Brewers in their next 2 games (7-3 and then 6-5 in a 14-inning game), then proceeded to lose their final 6 games of the season in Miller Park. If you’re scoring at home, that’s a 2-7 record in Milwaukee during the 2010 season.

On April 27, 2009, the Pirates took their first trip of the season to Milwaukee. They dropped the first game of the series, 10-5, as the Brewers scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning. The Pirates also dropped the next 2 games of the series to give the Brewers a sweep. After the Milwaukee sweep, the Pirates went home and lost 2 of the to the Cardinals. Then the Brewers came to town for a 2-game series, and proceeded to win both games, pushing the Pirates under .500 in 2009. The Pirates never reached .500 again that year.

On August 28, 2009, the Pirates went back to Milwaukee. They were fortunate to have just 2 trips to Miller Park in 2009, because the second one ended exactly the same as the first. If you’re scoring at home, that’s an 0-6 record in Milwaukee during the 2009 season.

In 2008, the Pirates didn’t win a single game in Milwaukee. They went 0-9 for the season in Miller Park. In 2007, the Pirates beat the Brewers 4-2 on May 3rd. That was their only win. They went 1-8 for the season in Miller Park. If you’re still scoring at home, and you haven’t started looking for word on the Steelers’ next preseason game, then you know that the Pirates are 3-33 in Milwaukee since the start of the 2007 season.

So, when Paul Maholm takes the mound, he’ll have the weight of 3-33 on his shoulders. He’ll also be carrying the hopes of many fans looking to salvage a .500 season in 2011, and the faint hopes of a few fans still hoping for a playoff berth. Then again, he is the Pirates’ erstwhile ace, and aces are expected to step up in situations like this.  Speaking of which… Maholm could be a free agent at the end of this season (the Pirates have a $9.75mil team option) so he might also be feeling the pressure of his contract situation.

So, beat the unbeatable team, save your flagging franchise from a record-setting 19th losing season, and earn yourself a huge new contract. Sounds easy enough, right?