Notes: Perez feeling stronger

03/24/2006
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The end result was another no-decision, but Pittsburgh Opening Day starter Oliver Perez was still satisfied with his performance.
"I feel real good, I feel like I'm stronger," said Perez, who missed the first half of Spring Training while representing Mexico in the World Baseball Classic.
Perez didn't see much action in the tournament -- a combined four innings in two games -- and so he said above getting the win lies the task of stretching himself out, growing stronger and solidifying his pitches for Opening Day.
According to Perez, he's right on task.
"Right now, I felt like I was throwing in the first game," he said after working four-plus innings in Friday's 5-4 loss to Philadelphia.
There were a few rough spots -- Phillies center fielder Aaron Rowand homered off Perez in the first inning and doubled in his next at-bat -- but Perez remained unruffled, scattering six hits and walking two while notching five strikeouts. He threw 67 pitches, 38 of them for strikes.
"I was trying not to think too much, just throw the ball and not try to be too perfect," he said. "I'm still working on my mechanics."
Pirates manager Jim Tracy was duly impressed with Perez, who was making just his second spring appearance. The first time out, the 24-year-old southpaw surrendered two runs on one hit and a walk, and faced nine batters in the two innings he worked of a 9-7 win over Toronto.
This time, the results were much better.
"I thought he did a nice job; he battled and made some good pitches when he had to," Tracy said, and added that he also liked the increased life he saw in Perez's fastball on Friday, a sure sign the pitcher is finding his rhythm.
"I thought he had a very good workout. ... I think it's a good one to build on," Tracy said. "His next time out, you get him out there a little bit further, he's set up to go for Opening Day."
McLouth persists: Nate McLouth continues to make a statement for himself in the battle with Chris Duffy for the starting spot in center field.
Already tied with second baseman Jose Castillo for the second-most hits on the club with 14, the 24-year-old McLouth added to his sales pitch in his first at-bat, driving a 1-1 pitch onto the grass above the wall in right-center on Friday night. It was his third home run of the spring, tying him for most on the team and earning Tracy's seal of approval. McLouth has reached base safely 11 times in his last 24 plate appearances, a .458 average.
"No question, he's making a strong case for himself and everybody is paying very close attention to it," Tracy said. "We see what's going on."
Coming into the season, it was believed the center-field spot would belong to Duffy, a sophomore who was up and down with the club last season and has impressed coaches with his stellar defense and big bat. Like McLouth, Duffy bats left-handed, so the challenge for McLouth is giving the Pirates something different.
Even their careers are alike -- Duffy saw action in 39 Major League games during his rookie year, McLouth, 41. Duffy boasted a higher batting average with the Pirates in 2005 -- .341 (43-for-126) to McLouth's .257 (20-for-109) -- but now things have reversed, with McLouth's spring average of .309 trumping Duffy's .206.
Tracy said the two are comparable in size, speed and defense and added that with all the similarities between the contenders, it was difficult to choose an area where one outshined the other. Finally, he hedged, McLouth "maybe has a little more power."
"It's a pretty close call. I think we have to wait a few more days and see where the situation's going to take us before I get overly into expounding on it," Tracy said. "We still don't know the 25 we are going into the season with and we have another week.
"But is Nate McLouth still in the mix? Very much so."
Coming soon: The Pirates will work out at 4 p.m. ET on April 2 at Miller Park, home of the Brewers. Pittsburgh opens the season against Milwaukee at 2:05 p.m. ET on April 3. ... With Friday's loss at Clearwater, the Pirates now are 0-3 in night games this spring.

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/