Pat Sullivan, Associated Press Houston's Chris Burke throws up his arms in frustration as catcher Ronny Paulino heads out to celebrate with teammates Wednesday night after the Pirates' sweep of the Astros. Click photo for larger image. Today Opponent: Cincinnati Reds, 7:10 p.m., Great American Ball Park. TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WPGB-FM (104.7). Starters: LHP Paul Maholm (8-10, 4.76 ERA last season) vs. RHP Matt Belisle (2-0, 3.60 ERA last season). Key matchup: Lefty vs. lefty should work well for Maholm. Adam Dunn is 2 for 20 off him, Ken Griffey Jr. 2 for 9. Neither has homered. Of note: Freddy Sanchez will be sorely missed in this series. He tore up the Reds' pitching for a .441 average - 26 for 59 - last season. Related articles Pirates Notebook: Sanchez could return tomorrow Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic New video scoreboard just one of many things luring fans to PNC Park

HOUSTON -- It was Monday afternoon, a few hours before the Pirates' opener at Minute Maid Park, and Jim Tracy was accepting good-luck wishes from a passerby. Tracy had seemed somewhat tightly wound to that point, but the gesture brought a slight smile.

And a promise.

"This ... tonight ... is going to be the start of something good."

That feeling, accompanied with that edge, clearly was reflected in Tracy's clubhouse.

The atmosphere that had been so loose through spring training was replaced by bustle akin to a bottling factory. Jason Bay clicked at a laptop, studying video of Houston ace Roy Oswalt. Zach Duke, the starter that night, worked out with his iPod and a block-out-the-world glare. And the general tone of conversation, including the handful of media interviews given, was unmistakably all business.

"It was a neat feeling coming in here," right fielder Xavier Nady would recall later in the week. "I saw different faces on people. I saw some people who expected to win."

"I felt the same way, soon as I walked in," center fielder Chris Duffy said. "I remember looking around and thinking how this doesn't seem like opening day. Guys didn't look nervous. It was more of a ... relaxed focus, if that makes any sense. I thought it was great. It felt like game No. 140. There wasn't pressure. It wasn't like, 'We've gotta win.' It was more like, 'We're gonna win.' And I think it's going to be like that all year."

It is difficult to argue with anyone on a team on pace to win 162 games, as are these 3-0 Pirates heading into their three-game set that opens tonight in Cincinnati.

But why might that feeling have been there before the first pitch had been thrown?

It could not have been because of any dramatic upgrade to the roster, as the Adam LaRoche trade pretty much summarized the offseason. It could not have been built on that winning second half last season, given the relative irrelevance of those games. And it certainly could not have born of any history that preceded that.

"Maybe it was the uncertainty," closer Salomon Torres said. "Can we duplicate what we did in the second half? We believed in ourselves, but you don't know until you go out there and do it. Your mind can play tricks on you."

And now?

Torres simply nodded.

Whatever doubt he might have had about his new full-time role was wiped away with saves in his team's first three games, making him the second in Major League Baseball history to achieve that.

Whatever doubts Duffy or third baseman Jose Bautista or starter Tom Gorzelanny might have had after lousy springs, those went poof, too.

	3-0 STARTS How the Pirates have fared in the past 50 years when starting 3-0: Year  Start  Finish 2003  4-0  75-87 1993  3-0  75-87 1983  5-0  84-78 1976  5-0  92-70 1975  3-0  92-69 1973  4-0  80-82 *-1971  3-0  97-65 1969  4-0  88-74 1962  10-0  93-68 *-Won World Series

On a larger scale, whatever doubt the group might have had about getting off to a good start -- especially among those who endured the 0-6 start last year -- was obliterated by three come-from-behind victories against the Astros in a longtime House of Horrors. Best of all, it was fueled by a manager's-delight mix of timely hitting, sound defense, stubborn starting pitching and spectacular relief.

Which might explain why Tracy, who sometimes seemed on different wavelengths with the clubhouse as the Pirates nosedived to 30-60 last season, was in such rhythm with it this week: Plain and simple, he likes the collection of players he has now better than the one he had.

"What I felt in there right on Monday afternoon ... there was a quiet confidence," Tracy said. "You know, there was some sorting out that had to take place a year ago, but there's a good group of people in there right now. They know how to play the game, they understand their roles, and they understand what's expected to help the group win."

First base coach John Shelby cited a similar feeling closer to the field.

"When we used to be behind, it was kind of dead in the dugout. It just seemed like somebody was hoping somebody would do something," he said. "But now, these guys ... man, these guys are ready. I was on winning teams in my career, and that's what it was like."

He paused.

"It's different. It's definitely different."

Perhaps the healthiest sign from the opening series came in the reactions from players who contributed little or nothing.

Unused backup catcher Humberto Cota was whooping it up after the Tuesday win.

"We're in Houston!" he shouted to no one in particular. "We're winning in Houston!"

LaRoche had a nightmarish Pirates debut -- 1 for 12 with seven strikeouts and loads of ugly swings -- but his chin seemed to stay up.

"It's great if it's somebody different getting it done every night," he said. "Everybody should want to be that guy. There needs to be an inner cockiness that says, 'I belong here. I'm the best player we've got on this team.' If everybody thinks that way ... that's a dangerous team."

Those who did contribute sounded similar notes.

Nady, whose .333 average and two home runs fail to illustrate how hard he was hitting the ball, turned three interviewer's questions about himself into answers about the team.

How does he feel about starting out on a tear at the plate?

"The reason I play this game is to play in October. It's my job to help this team get there."

Might this be his breakout year?

"I just want to help us win, whatever that takes."

Anything?

"Sorry. I'm just trying to take good at-bats and get wins."

It had been common the past couple of years to hear the Pirates' players talk of individual statistics, to see a pitcher beam with pride after a quality start even if the team lost, to have one-year rental veterans sit quietly in the corner while the younger core wondered about the direction of the franchise.

If there are any such separations now, it is impossible to detect.

"It's like a family," Torres said. "It's my job to worry not just about me but about Jack Wilson, about Ian Snell, about everybody in here."

"Since I've been a Pirate, even when I was in the minors, it seems like it's been guys just coming in and out," Duffy said. "The relationships weren't there, and you're not having that much fun because you're not really friends. This year, the guys know what it takes."

There is a long way to go, to be sure, but the Pirates seem to be relishing what the ride might bring.

Later that Monday, Nate McLouth came off the bench to hit a home run off Oswalt, Nady homered to tie the score with two outs in the ninth, and Bay won it with another home run the next inning.

In the dugout, emotions were high, embraces intense.

In the clubhouse, the music boomed.

"It was just a release," Nady said. "You talk about it all spring, and you believe it. But it's still great to see it happen, especially like that."

By Wednesday night, when the sweep was done, the music was barely audible, the players quietly but quickly packing for the flight to Cincinnati.

Eager to get there, but confident of the result.

It was like Monday afternoon all over again.