Pitcher Tom Gorzelanny had his best outing of the spring against the New York Yankees, allowing one run on two hits, two walks and two strikeouts in six innings as the Pirates won 5-2.

TAMPA, Fla. — Spring training never seems to excite Pirates left-hander Tom Gorzelanny.

A year ago, Gorzelanny proved how unimportant spring training results are when he went 0-2 with a 9.45 ERA before leading the Pirates with a 14-10 record during the season. This spring, he was 0-1 with an 8.74 ERA going into his final tuneup start Thursday against the Yankees.

The left-hander didn't resemble the pitcher who allowed 11 runs in 10Z\c innings during his previous three starts, yielding only two hits — including a Derek Jeter home run — over six innings of a 5-2 victory. He walked two, struck out two and faced only 21 batters.

Tom Gorzelanny, the new king of spring?

"The last one definitely (is important)," said Gorzelanny, who pitches the Pirates' second game of the season Wednesday in Atlanta. "It gives you a little momentum going into the season. ... I know this is still spring, and you're still working on stuff, but about this time, the last week, now it's time to put it all together and start doing what you need to do to win games."

With the exception of Matt Morris, who yielded 15 earned runs in 9X\c innings during his last two starts, each of the five Pirates starters has been effective during his last appearance.

Freddy in the field

Second baseman Freddy Sanchez played in the field in a minor league camp Thursday, one day ahead of schedule, and is scheduled to do so again today.

If Sanchez's sore right shoulder doesn't flare up, it's possible that he might try to play defensively during the Pirates' final exhibition game Saturday, against the Twins.

Sanchez has played defensively only twice against major league teams this spring, and it still isn't certain whether he will be ready for Monday's opener in Atlanta. If he goes on the disabled list, it's possible that infielder Brian Bixler will be recalled to begin the season.

"We'll see how he is after today (Thursday) and we'll see what we do with him as we progress," manager John Russell said.

Spring fling

In recent springs, the Pirates often faltered during the final week of exhibition play, especially when opponents began using their regular lineups and relievers. But this team has won four of its last five, beating the Tigers and Yankees during amid that ongoing run of good starting pitching.

Ian Snell, Paul Maholm, Zach Duke and Gorzelanny gave up a combined four runs in 23 innings in their last appearance. Each went six innings except for Duke, who pitched five Wednesday against Detroit.