Paul Maholm and Kevin Correia Shut Down for Season
By Editorial Staff
The Pittsburgh Pirates transferred starting pitchers Paul Maholm and Kevin Correia to the 60-day disabled list yesterday. The move means that Maholm and Correia will be shut down for the remainder of the 2011 season.
The duo had been a part of a much improved Pirates rotation. Pittsburgh’s pitching helped the club remain in the NL Central hunt through the All-Star break.
But Pittsburgh’s staff has come back down to Earth in the second half, as the rotation has been plagued by injuries and inconsistency. The club took a hit a few weeks ago when both Maholm and Correia landed on the disabled list within days of each other.
Maholm has been out since the 17th of August. A few days later the left-hander was diagnosed with a strained shoulder and hit the DL for the first time in his career.
Maholm had performed well overall for the Pirates this season, but struggled in his last few starts before the injury. Maholm entered last month with an ERA of 3.16, but gave up 17 earned runs on 31 hits in his 22.2 innings in August.
The 29 year old will finish the year with a 3.66 ERA. Maholm made 26 starts for the Pirates, logging 162.1 innings with a WHIP of 1.29.
Maholm is set for an interesting offseason. Pittsburgh holds a $9.75 million option to bring him back in 2012, but if the club decides to decline, Maholm will become a free agent this winter.
Correia was sent to the disabled list days after Maholm. After giving up 6 runs on 8 hits to the Cincinnati Reds during his last start August 19th, Correia complained of discomfort in his side. The right-hander was diagnosed with a strained oblique and was sent to the DL.
It’s been a tale of two halves for Correia, who’s in his first year with the Pirates. Correia’s ERA has increased each month of the season, starting at 2.90 after April and ending up at a mark of 4.79.
Through the All-Star break Correia had managed to keep his earned run average near 4, but the 31 year old struggled mightily in the second half of the season. After getting hit hard in July, Correia was even worse last month. Over 4 August contests, Correia allowed 19 earned runs on 30 hits in only 20.1 innings, good for an ERA of 8.41.
Correia finishes the year with an ERA and WHIP of 4.79 and 1.39 over his 27 appearances spanning 154 innings.
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