Duke OK in his 1st start of the year
SARASOTA, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates threw one sure member of their starting rotation at Baltimore and another who is auditioning for a spot.
Both pitched well, and Pittsburgh beat the Orioles 5-3 on Friday night for its first win of the spring.
Zach Duke tossed two solid innings in his first outing of the year. An All-Star last season, Duke is likely to start for the Pirates on opening day. He gave up one run and two hits before Pittsburgh rallied with a run in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Duke tied for the team lead with 11 wins last year, but won just two of his final 12 starts. He said he did plenty of experimenting Friday night.
"That's to be expected first time out. That's what these are for — to get that stuff ironed out," Duke said.
Baltimore's Chris Tillman worked two perfect innings in his first spring start.
Pittsburgh trailed 3-2 going into the eighth but tied it on Tony Sanchez's first home run. Sanchez was the fourth overall pick in the 2009 amateur draft.
The Pirates scored two runs off Alfredo Simon in the ninth.
Adam Jones hit a solo home run off Daniel McCutchen, who is trying to win a job in the Pirates' rotation. It was the Orioles' ninth home run in three games.
McCutchen, acquired in a trade that sent Xavier Nady to the New York Yankees in 2008, is competing to be Pittsburgh's fifth starter. He was 1-2 with a 4.21 ERA in six late-season starts with the Pirates last year.
"There are a few pitches I would have liked to have gotten back," McCutchen said. "I'm not going to go out there and strike out 10 guys."
Notes: Pirates RHP Octavio Dotel (oblique) threw on flat ground for the fourth straight day, but has yet to throw off a mound. Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington said he expects Dotel to be ready to open the season. ... Pirates RHP Joel Hanrahan (elbow) also threw on flat ground and is aiming to pitch March 15. ... ... The Pirates committed three errors in the fifth inning. ... Pittsburgh played its first three spring games on the road. The Pirates were slated to host Philadelphia Saturday.
