Notes from Pirates-Braves

By JOHN LEMBO
jlembo@bradenton.com

BRADENTON - The first two batters Tom Gorzelanny faced in top of the second inning walked.
No problem.
Pittsburgh's young left got the next batter, Atlanta's Matt Diaz, to ground into a texbook double play.
It's a sign of maturity the Pirates hope carry Gorzelanny through the 2009 season.
"That's one of thing's Joe (Kerrigan, the pitching coach) has been talking to him about - one pitch, one hitter at a time," manager John Russell said following the Pirates' 5-2 loss to Atlanta on Friday at McKechnie Field. "Once those walks are out there, there's nothing you can do about it except go after the next hitter. He did make some adjusments, and that's going to be a big key for him going forward through spring training."
The 26-year-old is looking to put a rough '08 behind him, when Gorzelanny went 6-9 with a 6.66 ERA. He got off to a decent start Friday.
"For a first outing," Russell said, "I thought he threw the ball well."

GOOD START: Neil Walker doubled in a run Friday, and giving him two doubles early in the spring. The third baseman is batting .400 with two RBIs thus far.

THEY'LL BE BACK: The Pirates head to Kissimmee on Saturday, but begin a four-game homestand Sunday when they host the Reds. The Detroit Tigers, managed by former Pirate skipper Jim Leyland, hit town Monday, and the Netherlands will be at McKechnie on Tuesday in preparation for the World Baseball Classic. Former Pirate pitcher Burt Blyleven is the the Netherlands' pitching coach.
The homestand wraps Wednesday against the Minnsesota Twins. The Pirates make a short trip to Sarasota on Thursday to play the Reds before playing host to the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.

Notes from Pirates' 8-2 win

By JOHN LEMBO
jlembo@bradenton.com
BRADENTON — Upon reaching the pitcher’s mound at McKechnie Field on Wednesday, Donnie Veal had to do some adjusting.
The wall behind home plate is lower than most, and when he first peered in to the catcher’s mitt, Veal was blinded by a sea of t-shirts.
It was a distraction that didn’t last long, however, and hours later, he was awarded with the win as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 8-2 during each team’s Grapefruit League opener.
“I couldn’t see anything,” said Veal, a 6-foot-4 lefty going through his first big-league spring training. “But you get locked in and get ready to go...Once the batter got in there, I was focused.”
Veal was one of nine pitchers to throw an inning for the Pirates (1-0). He allowed one hit in the fourth and kept the Phillies off the scoreboard.
“I was a little nervous, obviously,” he said. “But after I got in there and started throwing, I was over that and got it done.”
Veal, who went 5-10 with a 4.52 ERA with the Chicago Cubs’ Double-A affiliate in Tennessee, is relieved his first appearance as a Pirate is behind him.
“I’m trying to impress some people,” he said. “It was good to get it out of the way, the first one.”

READY FREDDY: Second baseman Freddy Sanchez looked comfortable Wednesday, going 2-for-2 with a single, double and an RBI.
Sanchez, who didn’t play in the field much last spring because of shoulder problems, made two assists and teamed with shortstop Jack Wilson to turn a pair of double plays.

NEW LOCAL LOOKS GOOD: New Bradenton resident Jamie Moyer started for the Phillies on Wednesday, allowing a hit in two innings, walking two and striking out two.
Moyer, who turns 47 in November, won his first World Series with the Phillies last year, and enters the regular season with 246 wins after making his major-league debut with the Chicago Cubs in 1986.

A LITTLE DOWN: Despite game-time temperatures of 77 degrees and no rain in the forecast, Wednesday’s opener drew 3,991 fans — nearly 2,000 less than last year’s record-setting average of 5,404 per game. Fans have chance to fatten this year’s total Friday, when the Pirates return to Bradenton to face the Atlanta Braves.

HOME SWEET HOME: After traveling to Fort Myers on Thursday and Kissimmee on Saturday, the Pirates play five of their next six games in Bradenton, including a run of four straight against the Detroit Tigers, the Cincinnati Reds, the Netherlands and the Minnesota Twins. After a short ride to Sarasota on March 5, the Pirates return home the next day to play the defending American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays.