[bigboydan]

Gorzelany, Burnett, and Eldred were sent down with eight others. The quality of players being sent down is so much better than in the past. Santos, Vogelsong and Duckworth are fighting for the number 5 spot. I think Vogelsong may be in trouble. He's pitched the worst of the three.

[bigboydan]

Pirates set rotation, Perez to start opening day



BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) - Oliver Perez will start the Pittsburgh Pirates' season opener on April 3 rather than 2005 rookie star Zach Duke.

The unexpected move - Perez has pitched only once for Pittsburgh this spring after spending most of the month with Mexico in the World Baseball Classic - means Duke will start April 5 in Milwaukee and the home opener April 10 against Los Angeles.

Perez is trying to bounce back from a disappointing season after the lefty was one of baseball's top young power pitchers in 2004.

Two rookies, left-hander Paul Maholm and right-hander Ian Snell, join Perez and Duke in one of the majors' youngest rotations, with no starter older than 24 other than the one remaining undecided starter.

New manager Jim Tracy has yet to choose between two minor league free-agent right-handers, Brandon Duckworth or Victor Santos, to start the second game of the season April 4 against the Brewers. Duckworth has pitched for the Astros and Phillies, and Santos was 4-13 with Milwaukee last season.

At most, the Pirates' rotation will have a combined 23 wins from last season - with Duke being the big winner with an 8-2 record and 1.81 ERA following his midseason call-up. Santos, a four-game winner with Milwaukee, Maholm (3-1, 2.18 ERA) and Snell (1-2, 5.14 ERA) won a combined eight games.

Duke figured to start the opener, but Tracy didn't want to put that kind of pressure on a 22-year-old pitcher who wasn't in the majors on opening day last year.

``The most important thing is to have young pitchers slotted where they're supposed to be at this point in their careers,'' Tracy said Tuesday. ``We have some young pitchers with an awful lot of ability. But I don't think I would sleep too well at night if I knew I was force feeding a young pitcher.''

Duke allowed two runs in five innings Tuesday against the Phillies.

Perez was 7-5 with an elevated 5.85 ERA during a 2005 season interrupted by shoulder and toe injuries, but was 12-10 with a 2.98 ERA and 239 strikeouts in 196 innings during a breakout 2004 season at age 22. His velocity has been a problem - though he insists the shoulder isn't - with his pitches topping out in the high-80 mph range this spring, down from the mid-90s in 2004.

``I'm anxious to see the real Oliver Perez,'' Tracy said. ``I want to see him step forward and become the Oliver Perez I know he is. What he did in 2005 is not anywhere near what he did in 2004. But I know this for a fact, you don't do that by accident.''

Snell, a prospect comparable to Duke and Maholm before all three were promoted to the majors last season, has been Pittsburgh's most consistent starter this spring with a 1.38 ERA. Tracy wants the hard-throwing Snell pitching between Duke and Maholm because the left-handers are control pitchers who rely on location rather than velocity.

``Both have very similar stuff, stuff that can beat you down on any given day,'' Tracy said. ``But you don't want guys with very similar stuff pitching on back-to-back days.''

Snell is a combined 58-20 in the minors. He won his first nine decisions with Triple-A Indianapolis last season.

The Pirates settled on their rotation after reassigning two other promising left-handers, Tom Gorzelanny and Sean Burnett, to Triple-A Indianapolis among 11 cuts.

Also sent down were first baseman Brad Eldred, outfielder Rajai Davis and infielder Yurendell DeCaster. Reassigned to minor league camp were non-roster right-handers Matt Whiteside, Ron Chiavacci and Nerio Rodriguez, catcher Carlos Maldonado, and infielders Gookie Dawkins and Jason Alfaro.