PITTSBURGH -- The previous time he faced the Mets, Paul Maholm was angry at himself for "screwing up" one of the few times this season the Pittsburgh Pirates gave him sufficient run support. Anthony Collins Womens Jersey . Maholm was so mad after allowing New York to come back from a 7-0 deficit June 2 that he hasnt allowed a run since. The left-hander pitched seven shutout innings, Brandon Wood homered and the Pirates beat the Mets 3-1 on Monday night to split their four-game series. "When its game day, its time to go compete and have fun," Maholm said. "When I get on the mound, my focus is to get the first guy of an inning out and get groundballs. Thats how its been going lately, and hopefully I can continue to get in a groove and stay that way." Maholm (3-7) lowered his earned-run average to 3.12, allowing only three hits and two walks. Hampered by poor offensive support, he won for just the second time since April 25. Maholm allowed only one hit over six innings in his previous start Wednesday, but for the fourth time this season the bullpen cost him a win when it blew a save. "Sometimes, a pitcher is too worried about making a mistake if theres no room for error or no large safety net to work with," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "In Pauls case, hes seen a lot, been through a lot, thrown a lot of innings. I know for a fact hes really comfortable with the way hes pitching now." Despite being outscored 18-7, Pittsburgh split a four-game series with New York for the second time in two weeks. The Pirates are 3-3 in their past six games despite scoring only 10 runs in that time. "Pauls been throwing the heck out of it," Wood said. "Our pitching staffs been phenomenal. "Its always good to get your guy a win, especially when theyre pitching their tail off and throwing like theyve been throwing," he added. "Im sure thats a little frustrating when were not hitting and putting runs on the board." Joel Hanrahan tossed a perfect ninth for his 17th save in as many opportunities. New York starter Mike Pelfrey (3-5) nearly matched Maholm, giving up two runs and four hits in seven innings. He did not walk a batter. Neil Walker had two RBIs as Pittsburgh (32-33) moved within a game of .500. For the second time in three days, the Mets (32-34) missed an opportunity to reach .500 for the second time since April 9. The first three Pirates batters of the game singled, with Walkers hit scoring Jose Tabata. Pelfrey, however, retired 20 of his final 21 after that. Wood led off the fifth by driving a 2-1 pitch to left for his second home run. "I got outpitched by Maholm on the other side," Pelfrey said. "He was great, and youve got to tip your hat to him." Both of Woods homers have come during the 6-4 homestand Pittsburgh just completed. Walker saw eight pitches and worked a two-out walk against Tim Byrdak in the eighth after three Pirates had singles off Manny Acosta to load the bases. For the second consecutive game, the Mets had a sacrifice fly that turned into a double play. On Monday, it was Jose Reyes who flied to left against Tim Wood with runners on first and third and no outs in the eighth. Tabata made a sliding grab that appeared as if it possibly could have been a trap -- but umpires ruled it a catch and Lucas Duda was doubled off first. Ruben Tejada scored on the play, the run upheld through a Pirates appeal that he left third too early. "It was my fault," Duda said. "I should have only gone halfway to second, then waited for the umpire to make the call." Michael McKenry made his Pittsburgh debut less than 24 hours after the catcher was acquired in a trade from the Boston Red Sox. He went 0-for-3 but picked Daniel Murphy off second in the fifth. "Hes a big part of why we won the game tonight," Hurdle said. Since Chris Snyder was injured during an awkward slide trying to stretch a single into a double during the second inning Wednesday, Pirates catcher do not have a hit. NOTES: Pirates OF Andrew McCutchen was not in the starting lineup because of a scheduled day off. McCutchen extended his career-best hitting streak to 12 games with an eighth-inning single after he entering as part of a double switch. ... Reyes went 0-for-3 after getting at least two hits in each of his previous four games. ... McKenry is the sixth catcher the Pirates have used this season, most since 1988. ... The Pirates said C Ryan Doumits ankle is healing as expected and he will report to the teams facility in Bradenton, Fla. A late-July return from the disabled list is targeted. ... Pittsburgh RHP Evan Meek (shoulder) was examined by Dr. James Andrews and was told to continue his rehabilitation. Meek is targeting a July return. Mike James Jersey . Kuale is a five-year CFL veteran, with 59 games of CFL experience, including 32 starts.Charles Sims Jersey . Milwaukee is three games behind Indiana for the eighth and final postseason berth in the East with only six games to go. It stayed alive in the playoff hunt with Saturdays 93-87 overtime win versus Philadelphia. SHEFFIELD, England -- Italys Vincenzo Nibali displayed his riding smarts at the Tour de France, winning Stage 2 on Sunday and taking the yellow jersey after a well-choreographed attack on rivals in the postindustrial English city known for "The Full Monty." The Astana team leader nicknamed "The Shark" for his road savvy took the final lead in a cycling dance of sorts with other title hopefuls, who took turns in front in the last stretch through a sea of fans from York to Sheffield. Nibali perhaps had more at stake: The 29-year-old rider has won the Italian Giro and Spains Vuelta, but has never captured cyclings showcase event. The victory on Sunday gave him both his first Tour stage win and yellow jersey, and sent a message that he could contend to take it home from Paris in three weeks. With less than two kilometres left, Nibali escaped a 21-man breakaway bunch at the end of the 201-kilometre course over nine heath-covered hills of Yorkshire, and held off their late surge. England is hosting the first three Tour stages this year. GERMAN LOSES YELLOW JERSEY Marcel Kittel, a powerful German sprinter who often struggles on climbs, trailed nearly 20 minutes back and lost the yellow jersey that he had captured by winning Stage 1. While the Italian won the fight to the line, under the shadow of a black Sheffield Forgemasters tower, defending champion Chris Froome of Britain and two-time winner Alberto Contador of Spain are focusing more on the overall race -- which ends July 27 on Paris Champs-Elysees. Overall, Nibali leads 20 other riders by two seconds, including Froome in fifth place and Contador in eighth. A six-man breakaway bunch tried its chances early, but got swallowed up by the pack with less than 40 kilometres left. Then, the big race stars moved to the front, splitting the pack. Contador, Froome, and Americans Andrew Talansky and Tejay van Garderen all spent time at the front. At times, they mustered bursts of speed or zipped across with width of the road in tactical manoeuvrs. "In the finale, a lot of contenders were making moves: Nibali ended up taking two seconds on us," Froome said. "Its not a big margin. For me, it was about staying out of trouble to stay at the front, and avoiding any major issues or splits. "Im tired, but I hope everyones tired after a day like today." TIME TO WORK, ASTANA Dave Brailsford,, boss of Froomes Team Sky, said the leaders actually "were all hesitant, because nobody wanted the jersey. Carl Nicks Buccaneers Jersey. " In the cycling playbook, the yellow shirt brings both glory and responsibility. Brailsford said: "Astana will have to now defend it, which is pretty good for anybody else. "Perfect. Theyve got to work." Nibali didnt dare claim he might keep it all the way to Paris, saying "the Tour de France doesnt stop here: We have three weeks to go, and very tough and tricky stages lie ahead." Mondays stage should be a far less grueling ride: Riders cover 155 kilometres from Cambridge to London, where the pack will finish on the Mall not far from Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. CROWDS FOR A CLASSIC STAGE The course Sunday resembled that of historic one-day races known as "classics," which often feature hilly terrain. Michael Rodgers, an Australian on Contadors Tinkoff-Saxo Bank team, called it "a bit of a special stage, like the Amstel Gold Race, but with 20 times the people." New roads for cyclings greatest race also mean new audiences, some of whom are so enthusiastic and eager for a selfie with the pack that they might not realize the hazards of getting too close to the riders as they go by. Untold thousands turned out just hours after one of the biggest British stars in the race, Mark Cavendish, dropped out because of pain from a separated right shoulder sustained in a crash Saturday. "There are thousands and thousands of people. Its great but its also dangerous," Contador said. Race officials say millions of fans have flooded the course route in just the first two stages. While Yorkshire doesnt have ascents on a par with the Alps or Pyrenees in France, riders faced nine low- to mid-grade climbs. The hardest was the Holme Moss pass. The steepest was also the shortest: The 800-meter Jenkin Road pass had an average gradient of 10.8 per cent. Several riders crashed. Simon Gerrans, who went down with Cavendish in Saturdays stage, also spilled -- as did van Garderen and Joachim Rodriguez, the third-place finisher in the 2013 Tour. All recovered to finish the stage. On the up-and-down, picturesque course, the 197-rider peloton scaled a narrow, cobblestone hill in Haworth, where the Bronte sisters -- the famed 19th-century novelists -- lived when their father was parson in the town. ' ' '
