"Zach Duke did not win a game and his ERA was high, but those things don't usually count for much in spring training. What matters is that the Pirates left-hander put himself in solid position for Opening Day.

Wednesday, Duke allowed eight runs in the Pirates' 8-5 loss against the Detroit Tigers. He went 3.1 innings and yielded nine hits and a walk and struck out three.

"There are a couple pitch selections I'd take back if I could," Duke said. "Most of it was soft contact, but they put them in good spots. The important thing is, I felt fine. I'm ready to go."

In five Grapefruit League games, Duke went 0-2 with a 6.27 ERA. In 18.2 innings, he allowed only 19 hits and ? especially encouraging ? he had more strikeouts (13) than walks (eight).

"I felt like I got stronger as the spring went on," Duke said. "My pitches are crisp now and I'm right where I want to be."

Duke will start in Monday's season opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It will be his second Opening Day assignment, the first coming in 2007."