BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Pirates' best-friend middle infielders, inseparable on and off the diamonds, each was left wanting despite a successful spring debut yesterday.

Jack Wilson, who homered and went 3 for 3 in the 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at McKechnie Field, still is searching for a good glove.

And Freddy Sanchez still awaits clearance to use his.

More on the shortstop's issue later, but first an update on the All-Star second baseman's injury status ...

Sanchez was No. 3 in the lineup as a designated hitter and went 1 for 2 with a walk, including a firmly struck single to center in his first appearance.

But, by all accounts, he is not close to full duty, as his right shoulder -- on which he had minor cleanup surgery to the rotator cuff Sept. 28 -- continues to hold him back. He has been throwing at three-quarters strength in fielding drills for more than a week -- again yesterday morning -- though his long-tossing was expanded another 10 feet, to 100.

"I'm feeling like I'm getting there," Sanchez said. "But there's still a little pain back there."

Pain?

"Yeah. If it was just sore or some discomfort, I'd be out there. But, when you've got pain ... I could be causing more damage if I try to force things too early. As long as I can get in there and DH, get in my at-bats, the throwing will come."

Asked if he expected to have pain at this point, Sanchez replied, "I don't know. I'm not on the medical staff, but I do know that the big thing is that I didn't have the chance to really strengthen the shoulder at all. I had to rest and rehab. Now, we're working on strength."

He was permitted only light tossing in the offseason.

"You can't just come out here and throw with no restrictions. There's a process."

General manager Neal Huntington and manager John Russell each confirmed yesterday that Sanchez remains on schedule to resume full activity in a week or two, keeping him on a healthy pace to be ready for the March 31 opener in Atlanta.

"Everything's going right to the plan with Freddy," Huntington said.

Wilson's pain, it is safe to say, is of a very different nature.

He uses the same glove each full season, but he rarely enters with a brand new one. Rather, he recycles one that had at least a little use in some previous year, so that it already has that genuine broken-in feel.

Trouble is, the glove from last year -- when he rediscovered peak form defensively with a career-low 11 errors -- is looking plenty tattered.

"This one's toast," Wilson said, holding it up at his stall.

The one from the previous year looks worse.

"This one's cheese toast."

As if to make Wilson feel better, Doug Mientkiewicz walked over and tossed onto his pile a first baseman's mitt that looked as if it originated during baseball's Cro-Magnon era.

"There," Mientkiewicz said. "Try that."

If any of this sounds trivial, it surely is not to Wilson.

"Oh, it's very important," he said, gazing down at the pile. "As a shortstop, you've got to have a glove you can trust, one that feels just right. Now, I've got this one here ..."

He looked at the new one, somewhat distrustfully.

"We'll see."

The first round was positive. Wilson took it onto the field for the morning drills and was satisfied enough that he carried it into competition and grabbed both grounders that came his way in his four innings. That included a quality scoop up the middle to rob speedy Shane Victorino on the game's first swing.

Perhaps at ease because of that, Wilson had a memorable first at-bat, too, pulling a J.D. Durbin slider over the left-field fence. He added two singles, including a two-out liner to center for another RBI in the second inning.

It would be a boon to the Pirates if Wilson, while he works out his glove issue, can maintain the .400-plus form he flashed in the final two months of last season.

"The swing feels the same, and it would be really nice if I could carry that over," he said. "But all of spring training, for me, is getting ready defensively. That's my game. That's what I have to do."