PITTSBURGH - Ryan Vogelsong, the Pittsburgh Pirates' best pitcher in March, is about to find out if he can get similar results when the games start counting in April.

Vogelsong, who led Pittsburgh starting pitchers with a 2.05 spring ERA, makes his eighth and most scrutinized major league start tonight, opposing the Phillies' Vicente Padilla (14-12) in Pittsburgh.

The right-hander is 2-7 with a 6.03 ERA during his limited time in the majors with the Giants and Pirates. This will be his first opportunity to show what he can do as a full-time starter.

Vogelsong made the most visible improvement of the Pirates' pitchers during spring training, after making a seemingly routine adjustment in his delivery suggested by pitching coach Spin Williams. Suddenly, Vogelsong's velocity improved by several miles per hour to the 95 to 96 mph range.

"I don't have any questions now if my stuff is going to be there or not," he said Wednesday. "I always had questions before: Am I going to be able to throw my curveball for strikes today? If I don't have that, will I be able to throw my changeup? With my arm slot the way it is now? I don't have all those questions."

Vogelsong, 26, didn't throw as hard as he is now before he had Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery in 2001.

"I'm not as nervous (as before)," he said. "I feel better now I've been through it a couple of times and I'm more confident became I'm coming off a good spring training."

His confidence increased visibly this spring, as he realized his improved results and increased velocity weren't just a one-game anomaly. He said he always second-guessed himself last year.

"I got all those bad thoughts and all the negative stuff out of my head now and everything is completely positive, and it's helping me out big time," he said.

Vogelsong was 2-2 with a 6.55 ERA in six Pirates games (five starts) last season.

At least until he gets more comfortable in the major leagues, Pirates rookie second baseman Jose Castillo's offense won't be as important as his defense. At least it won't be to his manager.Castillo, who was playing shortstop in Double-A at this time a year ago, made his first career start Wednesday night against the Phillies. Manager Lloyd McClendon knows the first of the latest wave of Pirates position player prospects to make the majors will be under close scrutiny."The most important thing for him is to catch the ball," McClendon said. "I don't think he's going to be any different from 99 percent of all rookies. The first year is going to be difficult offensively at times. He's certainly a talented young man and he'll show some flashes of what he can do offensively."But if he goes 0-for-4 it won't be the end of the world."The Pirates' other second baseman, Bobby Hill, had a big spring with a .339 average, two homers, five homers and 10 RBI, but Castillo wasn't that far off. He had two doubles, three homers and 10 RBI, though his average (.264) wasn't as high as Hill's.