Duke sees light

By MIKE HENRY
mhenry@bradenton.com

SARASOTA -- Despite giving up five runs in two innings -- three on first-inning home runs by Cincinnati sluggers Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn -- Pirates left-hander Zach Duke took some positives away from his spring-training debut at Ed Smith Stadium.
"The main thing for me is I feel healthy," said Duke, who spent time on the disabled list last season with left elbow tendinitis and irritation of the ulnar collateral ligament. "I actually did throw some quality pitches. My fastball had some life on it -- the righties weren't getting around on it, there were a lot of jam shots. My changeup had good life.
"I think the ball was coming out of my hand nice, with the exception of a couple of mistakes. It felt good."
Both home runs came off fastballs. Griffey's was a two-run, opposite-field shot, while Dunn crushed a 3-2 pitch over the Carrabba's sign in right-center.
Four of the runs allowed by Duke were earned. "There were some weird things that happened, a bloop shot, some misplayed balls," Duke said. "It's the third game of spring training."