DUNEDIN, Fla. — Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jeff Karstens says that this spring he’s got the mindset of a starting pitcher.

“It’s my first year I’ve really trained to be a starter,” he said Sunday after allowing four hits in four innings of the Pirates’ 3-1 win over Toronto.

“I don’t think I trained with the mentality I have now. I think it’s a little different this year, knowing the expectations. ... I want more of that and I want the other guys to see more of that.”

He was a spot starter out of the bullpen in 2010 and began last season the same way until Ross Ohlendorf’s shoulder problems gave Karstens the chance to start on a regular basis.

Ohlendorf was released in December — he’s now with the Red Sox — and Karstens has been given his spot in Pittsburgh’s starting rotation this year.

Karstens is not allowing himself to feel, as he put it, “comfortable” with his situation “because I don’t want to feel a sense of entitlement. I would say I’ve felt more at ease because I feel like, ‘OK, I can start; I can relieve. I’m in a good place with this team.”