TAMPA, Fla. -- Tom Gorzelanny decided a few weeks ago to give up beer and soda for Lent.

What he didn't decide to do was give up runs during Lent.

"I'd rather give up beer than runs," he said.

So far, there have been no signs that Gorzelanny will end either "streak" -- especially the first.

"I'm Catholic and it's Lent," he said. "You're supposed to give up something. I gave up drinking beer and soda for Lent. I thought I'd try it and see how it would make me feel body-wise, and I feel great. I feel energized all the time."

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Anything else?

"I've lost 15 pounds," he said. "I realized that beer gets you fat."

There's this, too. Giving up runs will get one's earned run average fat.

Gorzelanny's spring ERA is an obese 10.45.

In four appearances, including two starts, he has allowed 15 hits, 6 walks and 12 earned runs in 10¹/₃ innings.

"I'm not overly concerned," he said. "I'm concerned to the point that I don't like it. I don't want it. I'm not concerned that it's going to hurt me. I don't think it has anything to do with what's going to happen in the season.

"I feel very confident about the season. I'm very excited to take it out there again and continue what I did last season. Now it's just getting ready and getting in shape and being ready to pitch in games. I don't think right now anybody should be overly concerned with what goes on in the spring. I think they should be concerned with getting ready and getting their pitches down."

Gorzelanny, who has made only 12 major-league starts, needn't be concerned with losing his spot in the Pirates' rotation -- barring something unforeseen.

Yes, left-handers Sean Burnett and Shane Youman have had fine springs, but both probably will wind up with Class AAA Indianapolis.

And to be fair to Gorzelanny, the four runs he allowed in the first inning in his start against Cincinnati March 11 and the two runs he yielded in the first inning to Tampa Bay Friday all could have been avoided had he had better defense behind him.

"Things could have gone a lot differently," Gorzelanny said.

Also, in both those starts, Gorzelanny pitched well after the first inning.

"Giving up those runs was definitely not fun," he said. "It doesn't make me feel good. But after [the first innings], I pounded the strike zone and got them to swing at good pitches. I worked both sides of the plate.

"I know I'm getting better. I know things will fall into place as the spring goes on. I'm thinking more about that right now than about how many runs I give up."

Plus, Gorzelanny can point to his track record last season -- a 3.79 ERA in 11 starts. That will earn him either the fourth or fifth spot in the rotation.

Gorzelanny, a second-round pick in the 2003 draft, joined the Pirates June 30 after pitching superbly for Indianapolis. In 16 starts, he was 6-5, but his 2.35 ERA indicates he could have had more victories.

One of the points of emphasis with Gorzelanny last year at Indianapolis was preventing big innings -- especially big first innings -- that plagued him in the past.

"We tried to straighten his thinking out as far as controlling damage during the game," said Jeff Andrews, the Indianapolis pitching coach. "We talked about giving the opponent one run instead of three, not trying to miss bats, not trying to be his worst enemy and compound any problems during the game -- just to pitch it and try to make the ball go where we want it to and not compound it by falling behind or walking guys or making the inning any worse than it was.

"He started controlling the game better. There was a little bit more focus when the first batter got on not to overthrow, not to try to do too much. Instead, we suggested he pull the reins back and maybe get softer and use his changeup and his sinker more with guys on base.

"Before, he tried to do too much by trying to strike everybody out or trying to make perfect pitches or trying to control the whole inning by himself -- not understanding that 'If I just throw the ball where I want to, then that's all I can do. I'm not going to hurry. I'm not going to rush. I'm not going to overthrow. I'm just going to pitch.'

"It did help him. His walks were down. His big innings were down. He was giving up single runs instead of two or three in an inning. And his ERA was down because of that."

Gorzelanny anticipates carrying that success into this season -- especially in first innings.

"Some starts, I'm a little too pumped up in the first inning and then I settle down," he said. "I have to be relaxed from the start to the finish.

"I think what I've learned is to get prepared for the game, get fired up but then be calm and concentrate. Get all the adrenaline out of me and then when the game starts, you're into it. You're focused. That's it. No more."