He had one bad inning in May, but Jake Cuffman has been paying for it ever since.

The 21-year-old right-handed pitcher allowed five runs in an inning May 23 while pitching for Class AHickory in the Pittsburgh Pirates' minor league system.

"Your earned run average just can't recover from that if you're a short-inning relief pitcher," the Butler graduate said.

Sporting an 0-3 record and a 6.00 ERAat Hickory this season, Cuffman was sent to Williamsport of the New York-Penn League three weeks ago for what was supposed to be an extended stay.

Former Pirates bullpen coach Bruce Tanner is the pitching coach at Williamsport.

"The fact we sent Jake back to Williamsport shouldn't be construed as negative,"said Brian Graham, the Pirates' director of player development. "We wanted him to work with Bruce and we wanted to get him innings.

"That's what Jake needs more than anything else right now: innings pitched."

Cuffman has pitched 33 innings in 21 appearances as a setup man out of the bullpen for Hickory.

In six games and 12Z\c innings pitched at Williamsport, he was 0-1 with a 2.92 ERA, 14 strikeouts and four walks.

After a two-week stint at Williamsport, Cuffman returned to Hickory.

"Honestly, I don't think I was doing anything wrong in the first place,"he said. "It was that one bad inning that's been clouding my numbers.

"Working with Bruce Tanner was very beneficial to me, though. He pointed out I was a little stiff with my pitching motion and he got me to start throwing to spots rather than just relying on my stuff in the middle of the plate."

Cuffman will continue to pitch as a seventh- and eighth-inning setup man in Hickory. He recorded his first two career saves as a professional pitcher in 2005 at Williamsport, when he had 32 strikeouts and 25 walks in 35 innings pitched.

So far this season at Hickory, he has 30 strikeouts and 19 walks.

"Jake's been pounding the zone more this year,"Graham said. "He just needs to be a little more consistent with it."

Graham said Cuffman's fastball has been between 91 and 93 mph consistently and he's developed a hard sinker and sharp breaking ball to go with it.

"When it comes to pure skill, that kid has great stuff,"Graham said. "It just takes time for certain things to develop, like consistency in his delivery and his release point."

And time is definitely on Cuffman's side.

"Right now, I'm reaping the benefits of signing out of high school,"Cuffman said. "I'm one of the youngest guys on Hickory's pitching staff. I've got plenty of time to climb the ladder.

"I imagine I'll finish this season at Hickory, then begin here next season. My goal is to be at (Class A)Lynchburg or (Class AA)Altoona by the end of next season."

Cuffman stands 6-feet-4 and weighs 197 pounds. He is in his third full season of pro ball, having been a 14th-round draft pick of the Pirates in 2003.

Cuffman didn't pitch his 100th minor league inning until this season.

"He's a big, strong physical guy. All he needs are innings and outings, so he can get comfortable out there," Graham said.

One place Cuffman does feel at home at is in the bullpen.

"You have to get yourself ready to pitch a lot quicker as opposed to being a starter," he said. "But I like the idea of being able to come in for an inning or two late in a game and just let it rip. It's a lot of fun."