If Tom Gorzelanny was unaware of the opportunity the Pirates seem prepared to give him, he might have gotten a clue when he entered the clubhouse and saw that he was given the stall that used to belong to Oliver Perez.

And if Gorzelanny was unaware of the confidence management apparently has in him, he will get another clue tonight when he takes the mound against the Detroit Tigers, the best team in Major League Baseball.

Not exactly breaking the kid in easy, is it?

	MINOR-LEAGUE REPORT Friday's results INDIANAPOLIS (42-36) lost at Toledo, 7-0. LHP Sean Burnett (6-5, 5.35) allowed one run and three hits in five innings. He struck out two, walked four and threw 40 of 83 pitches for strikes. LHP Mike Johnston (6.69) allowed four runs in two-thirds of an inning. 2B Craig Stansberry (.333) went 1 for 3 with two strikeouts in his Class AAA debut. ALTOONA (46-31) beat Akron, 6-3. RHP Matt Peterson (5-5, 5.59) allowed one run and three hits in six innings. SS Brian Bixler (.286) hit his first Class AA home run, a three-run shot. CF Vic Buttler (.316) hit his 14th triple. LYNCHBURG (36-40) won at Wilmington, 3-2. LHP Kyle Bloom (4-4, 3.79) allowed one run and one hit in 6 1/3 innings. RHP Chad Blackwell (0.71) allowed one unearned run in 3 1/3 innings for his first save. RF Brad Correll (.266) hit his fifth home run. C Neil Walker (.259) went 0 for 3 with a walk. HICKORY (35-41) lost at Asheville, 10-5. RHP Kyle Pearson (3-3, 5.43) allowed three runs, two earned, in 3 1/3 innings. CF Andrew McCutchen (.269) hit his seventh home run and went 2 for 5 with a stolen base. 3B Shelby Ford (.214), the Pirates' third-round draft pick, hit his first professional home run. WILLIAMSPORT (4-5) lost to Mahoning Valley, 7-1. RHP Jared Hughes (0-1, 2.77) pitched five scoreless innings and allowed two hits.

"It doesn't matter," Gorzelanny said. "I'm here to do my best, and I think I can do that against any ballclub that goes out there. I've always felt I can do well against anybody. It's the same game."

For those who did not catch Gorzelanny's big-league debut Sept. 20, 2005, at PNC Park -- five runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Houston Astros -- this is what to expect: He throws as hard as anyone in the organization from the left side, from 93-95 mph, along with a sharp slider and a changeup that developed into possibly his best pitch this season for Class AAA Indianapolis.

Brian Graham, the Pirates' director of player development, stresses patience even with top prospects. He was as aware as anyone that Gorzelanny's 2.35 ERA and International League-best 94 strikeouts had the look of someone bumping his head on the ceiling, but he is adamant the extra time in the minors was well invested.

"We wanted him to become a complete pitcher, to improve his command, and he's done that," Graham said.

Asked if he viewed that time the same way, Gorzelanny replied, "Absolutely. I did everything they asked me to do. Nobody's perfect. Everybody's got something they can get better at, and I feel I did that."

Perez's stay indefinite

The cleaning out of Perez's locker was not the only sign he will be gone for a while. Manager Jim Tracy said the Pirates want to see "three or four games" of consistency from Perez before he returns.

"My fingers are crossed that he goes there and does well," Tracy said. "He doesn't have to be perfect. Very, very good will do."

Perez's first outing is tonight in Toledo against the Mud Hens.

Spasms KO Sanchez

Third baseman Freddy Sanchez and his league-leading batting average were out of the lineup because of back spasms that struck him yesterday afternoon.

Tracy said that they were not baseball-related and that they had no precedent.

"He just came in that way, pretty tight," Tracy said.

Sanchez's status is day to day.

Buried treasure

Sean Casey rejoined the starting lineup after missing two games because of a bruised left shoulder, and Craig Wilson pinch-hit after sitting out one game with a swollen forearm.

It is not all former Pirates in the Detroit organization: Francisco Cabrera, of all people, is a coach with the Tigers' team in the Dominican summer league. Cabrera, for those who do not immediately shudder at the name, was the Atlanta reserve whose single ended the Pirates' bid to reach the 1992 World Series.

Gorzelanny will be ineligible for the Futures Game on All-Star weekend, now that he is in the majors. Best bet to replace him: Josh Sharpless, the standout reliever at Indianapolis and a Freedom High School graduate. That would give the Pirates two local products -- Richland's Neil Walker is the other -- in the game.

Jim Leyland, answering a pregame question about his pitching coach, Chuck Hernandez: "I'm always careful about bragging about any staff member because these players are the people who are executing. If you have pretty good players, you're a pretty good manager or coach. I've seen it on both sides. I've been pretty smart a few years, and I've been dumb a few years."