CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Adam LaRoche homered and singled in his first two spring at-bats, as the Pirates opened their Grapefruit League schedule with an 11-5 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies this afternoon at Bright House Networks Field.

LaRoche opened his spring in style in the second inning by crushing Kyle Kendrick's flat 1-1 fastball onto the grass hill beyond right-center for a 1-0 lead.

"It feels good," LaRoche said. "You always kind of surprise yourself with that first hit in spring training. You get into the box, don't know where to stand, what to look for, and it's amazing how you can feel every year like you've never done it before. So, yeah, it felt good."

LaRoche also turned two fine plays at first base, starting a 3-6-3 double play in the second and deftly snagging a high hop from Jimmy Rollins in the third.

Phil Dumatrait, taking injured Tom Gorzelanny's place as starter, had two scoreless innings, but Bryan Bullington was rocked in the third for five runs on five hits and two walks. The 10-batter barrage was capped by Ryan Howard's three-run home run that left the stadium to the right-field side.

The Pirates matched that output in their next at-bat, though, and reclaimed the lead, 6-5. Josh Wilson's two-out, bases-loaded single brought two runs, and Nate McLouth's home run to right -- off a Joe Savery slider -- brought three more.

That rally, remarkably, got Bullington the victory.

"He had some balls elevated," manager John Russell said. "It's the first game."

Wilson added a third RBI with a double in the sixth, Michel Hernandez's infield single followed Steve Pearce's triple in the seventh, and Andrew McCutchen's RBI liner in the eighth put the Pirates ahead, 8-5.

Ronald Belisario, Matt Capps, John Grabow, Jaret Wright, Juan Perez and Romulo Sanchez each pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Grabow and Wright looked particularly effective, with Wright impressing Russell by attacking batters with his sinker.

"He's been out there before," Russell said. "He knows what he's doing."

"It felt good," Wright said.

McLouth and Nyjer Morgan, beginning their duel for the center-field job, each went 1 for 4. McLouth played center, Morgan right in an arrangement that could flip-flop as Russell seeks at-bats for both.

Doug Mientkiewicz saw his first action in the outfield, manning right field for the final four innings and getting putouts on the only two balls his way.

Ian Snell will start against the Phillies' Chad Durbin tomorrow at McKechnie Field. Sean Burnett, Elmer Dessens, Evan Meek, Franquelis Osoria, T.J. Beam and Romulo Sanchez will follow.

There also will be a B-game against the Phillies, 10 a.m. at Pirate City. Jimmy Barthmaier will start against the Phillies' Brett Myers. Masumi Kuwata, Casey Fossum, Adam Bernero, Mike Thompson, Hector Carrasco and Jesse Chavez will follow.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.