The game: Paul Maholm's spring debut, overshadowed by Tom Gorzelanny's healthy return, figured prominently in the Pirates' 7-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Fla.

But that does not mean his line -- three runs, five hits in two innings -- was reflective of how he pitched.

Consider that 20 of 28 pitches were strikes, that he mixed up his repertoire throughout, and that he had most hitters visibly off-balance.

Consider above all that none of the three runs he allowed in the third inning would have scored if not for two fluky plays preceding them. One was a grounder to first base that Steve Pearce threw away. That was ruled a single. The other was a chopper over third baseman Doug Mientkiewicz's head.

With two outs, B.J. Upton lashed a two-run triple and Cliff Floyd an RBI double for a 3-0 Tampa Bay lead.

"I thought the ball came out of Paul's hand really well," manager John Russell said. "He's been really good all spring, and this was more of that."

Of the Pirates' 11 hits, only Jason Bay's third-inning double and Raul Chavez's eighth-inning solo home run went for extra bases.

They mounted a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth and had the tying runs aboard with two outs, but Ronny Paulino capped a 1-for-5 day with a popup.

Today: Matt Morris will make his spring debut against the Philadelphia Phillies' Joe Savery, 1:05 p.m. in Clearwater, Fla. Casey Fossum, Luis Munoz, Romulo Sanchez, Masumi Kuwata, Evan Meek and Hector Carrasco will follow.

The teams will have a B-game at the same venue, 9:30 a.m., with Yoslan Herrera starting.

Camp roster: 65, with 38 pitchers, 6 catchers, 13 infielders and 8 outfielders. The first cuts of spring saw catchers Steve Lerud and Milver Reyes returned to minor-league camp.

Injury update: Outfielder Nate McLouth described his tight right hamstring as "a ton better" after taking batting practice in the cages.

"Another day or two," he said. "I just wanted to be cautious because my legs are such a big part of my game."

Reliever Jaret Wright was struck on the right forearm by a Jon Weber line drive in the eighth inning but remained in the game and had another impressive outing: He faced the minimum three batters -- Weber was erased trying to steal third by Chavez -- and needed only 10 pitches.

Another reliever, Damaso Marte, will not make his scheduled spring debut in the B-game today because he still feels weak from the fever he had two weeks ago. He will have a bullpen session instead and, if all goes well, pitch Thursday.

Battle lines: Mientkiewicz braced for the worst when he made his debut at third base, largely because of the Rays' exceptional speed.

"They have 10 of these guys," Mientkiewicz said, motioning to nearby teammate Nyjer Morgan.

That was not the only reason: Mientkiewicz has played third only once in 10 major-league seasons, that in 2003.

Still, he cleanly fielded the only grounder hit his way yesterday, though he made first baseman Steve Pearce lean for the throw. He also had a putout on a rundown.

Mientkiewicz will be tried at third, left and right field -- in addition to his Gold Glove home at first -- to see if he can fit the roster as a utility player. And the plan, Russell said, is to keep him rotating to simulate the use he would see in the season.

Fun in the sun: Once again, there was no fun for the outfielders, particularly Jason Bay.

He allowed a popup to land to his right after losing it in the afternoon sun. No crime there. Happens all the time in Grapefruit League play.

But Bay also allowed a Jonny Gomes single to get past him and roll to the track, and that extended an ugly trend: The Pirates have had no fewer than four such liners elude outfield gloves for extra bases already this spring.

"We're making some careless errors right now," Russell said. " Guys are getting their feet wet, getting used to the conditions, and I understand that. But we've had a few of those, and one thing we need to do is be more attentive."

Inside pitch: Matt Capps worked the fifth inning Thursday and the seventh yesterday, allowing two runs on three singles and a walk.

Why not the ninth?

The Pirates' plan for their closer is to work him back toward the end of the game gradually, but the reason for not doing so now has nothing to do with pressure. Rather, most teams have minor-league substitutes batting by the eighth and ninth innings.

Countdown to Atanta: 30 days.