Maddux Wins 14th, Leads Braves

Greg Maddux won without his control, his favorite pitch or much support. Maybe it should be a lesson to Jason Schmidt, who once shared the NL victories lead with Maddux but hasn't won in nearly two months.

Maddux

Schmidt and Maddux each won their eighth games on June 1, but Schmidt is 0-7 and Maddux is 6-3 since then.

Maddux (14-4), who had lost two of his previous three decisions, made certain he didn't lose consecutive starts for the first time this season, limiting the Pirates to a run on four hits in 7 2-3 innings.

He wasn't sure how he did it. He realized in the first inning he lacked control or movement on his changeup, forcing him to throw far more fastballs than usual.

But something worked as Maddux dodged trouble in the first and sixth innings -- the Pirates stole three bases in the sixth without generating a run -- to improve to 5-0 in nine starts against the Pirates since last losing to them on April 30, 1994.

"I thought we could get to him today," Pirates manager Gene Lamont said. "He missed quite a bit with some pitches and you don't often see that with him. But I guess that's why you win four Cy Young awards."

Maddux might win a fifth if he keeps pitching this way, but he fins it difficult to compare this season to those years.

"You don't pitch to win Cy Young awards," he said. "I have enough to worry about without giving myself more things to worry about."

Schmidt (8-8), Maddux's former Atlanta teammate, has plenty to concern him after losing his seventh in a row, allowing two runs on eight hits in 7 1-3 innings.

He is 0-7 in his last 10 starts, the longest winless streak by a Pirates starter since Paul Wagner went 0-6 in 11 starts in 1995.

"Am I mad? I started getting mad a few starts ago," said Schmidt, who has yielded 11 runs in his last four starts. "Sure, I know it was Greg Maddux, but we've got to start jumping on pitchers early. I don't see how we can score nine runs one night, then not score at all the next."

The Braves, finishing the season series 7-2 against Pittsburgh, took the lead on consecutive one-out singles in the eighth by Keith Lockhart, Chipper Jones and Galarraga.

Galarraga was in a 5-for-37 slump before lining a 3-2 breaking ball off his shoetops to the opposite field in left.

"I don't know how he hit it, but I guess that's why he has the kind of seasons he does," Schmidt said of Galarraga, who drove in his 86th run.

Galarraga said, "Usually I look for a fastball on 3-2, but he'd struck me out twice on breaking balls. It probably helped me that I was looking for it, but I'm still lucky I got a hit."

Maddux usually doesn't get yanked from a one-run game, but Braves manager Bobby Cox said, "He was done. He didn't have anything left in that last inning."

The Pirates loaded the bases on two singles and a walk in the first without scoring. Jose Guillen, 0-for-10 lifetime against Maddux, struck out and Al Martin grounded out on a ball that deflected off Maddux's glove to shortstop.

Galarraga saved a run on the play, stretching out to catch Ozzie Guillen's throw while keeping a foot on the bag.

An inning later, Maddux retired Tony Womack on a fly ball to right following Schmidt's opposite-field double to right.

Atlanta took a 1-0 lead in the fourth as Eddie Perez doubled after Ryan Klesko's two-out walk. Perez is Maddux's designated catcher, making 23 of his 26 starts when Maddux is on the mound.

The Pirates finally got to Maddux in the sixth for a run, but again wasted a chance for a bigger inning. Kevin Young hit a sacrifice fly after Ozzie Guillen misplayed Jason Kendall's grounder for an error and Turner Ward singled.

Ward, who hit an inside-the-park grounder Saturday on a ground ball that barely left the batter's box, then stole second and third, and Martin stole second after Guillen popped up. But Keith Osik, replacing Aramis Ramirez at third during his five-game suspension, struck out looking.

Kerry Ligtenberg pitched the ninth for his 13th save after Russ Springer got the last out in the eighth.

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