Former Pirate Paul Maholm: 2012 Pirates Have 'A Different Feel'

PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) - Former Pirates and current Cubs starting pitcher Paul Maholm joined The Fan Morning Show on Wednesday with the Cubs in town for a three-game series.

He had plenty of praise for Andrew McCutchen, and explained how he approached the red-hot star.

"If I had to walk him, I had to walk him. I wasn't going to throw him a cookie and let him do any damage," Maholm said.

He said that McCutchen has always had the tools needed to pull off a season like this.

"He's a confident, quiet, hard-working guy that has all the talent in the world, and it's paying off," Maholm said.

He explained why the Bucs faltered down the stretch last year, but found it hard to compare last season to this season.

"For a while, we were winning a ton of one-run games, then we started losing a number of one-run games. We just weren't able to keep it up. This year, I think that team has a different feel," Maholm said.

The interview can be heard here: