WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The best thing Pittsburgh starter Oliver Perez could say Friday was that his left arm felt fine. Not much else went right for Perez, a promising 23-year-old left-hander, in his first spring training start.

The Cleveland Indians scored four runs off Perez in one inning and defeated the Pirates 16-4. Returning to the mound after a bout with left shoulder stiffness, Perez gave up three hits and a walk while needing 26 pitches to get through the first.

"That stuff is going to happen," Perez said. "For the first time on the mound, you're going to be wild. The most important thing is my arm feels really good."

Perez, the team's probable opening-day starter, did not throw off a mound for the first 10 days of camp after sleeping awkwardly on his pitching shoulder. He also did not pitch in the Mexican winter league for the first time in his career, and the Pirates took a cautious approach with his throwing program.

Against the Indians, Perez was scheduled to throw two innings or 25 pitches. He used up his pitch allotment in the first.

Ronnie Belliard hit Perez's second pitch to left for a double. Ryan Ludwick then hit an RBI double off second base, Jose Hernandez hit a two-run triple and Mike Kinkade had a sacrifice fly. Even the three outs Perez recorded came on hard-hit fly balls.

"We just wanted him to get out there and make sure he was healthy," Pirates pitching coach Spin Williams said. "We wanted him to get a feel for what he was doing."

After striking out 239 batters last season, the most by a left-handed pitcher in franchise history, Perez didn't display pinpoint control. He threw only 14 strikes among his 26 pitches.

"He was a little rusty, but that's to be expected," Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said.

The Pirates worked extensively on Perez's mechanics last spring, and Perez went 12-10 with a 2.98 ERA and the most strikeouts per nine innings among major league starters.

"Everything is not the same," he said. "I have to do better. I have 20 days left until the season to find it. Everything will be good."

Although Perez wasn't satisfied with the results, he was encouraged by the way his left shoulder responded.

"It's time to forget everything about the injury and try to continue to work hard," he said. "That is why I am happy. To come back and throw in a game is why I feel good right now."

Hernandez went 2-for-3 and drove in four runs for the Indians. The 35-year-old can play every infield position and the outfield, but was signed as a free agent this winter from Los Angeles to provide some punch against left-handed pitching.

The Indians went just 24-34 in 2004 against lefty starters. Hernandez hit .310 with 11 homers against left-handers last year with the Dodgers.

"I'm just working on my timing at the plate and today was a good day," said Hernandez, who is hitting .462 (6-for-13) this spring.

"I have to get ready to face lefties because this team will face a lot of them this season. It's my job to hit them."

Ernie Young, Casey Blake and John Rodriguez all hit home runs for Cleveland, which has won five in a row and totaled 52 runs in its last four victories.

Rodriguez, an outfielder signed from the Yankees' farm system in November, hit his third homer. He is hitting .389 (7-for-18) overall.

Notes:

A wheel came off the Pirates' bus on the trip from Bradenton. Pittsburgh players had to wait an hour for another bus and did not have time to take batting practice.