CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The Pirates packed up Thursday and flew north for the summer, leaving behind Florida and a 7-19-1 record to which, so their manager said, fans should pay little heed.
"Do they remember the [New York] Yankees' spring training record last year? Do they remember who finished last in spring training last year?" John Russell wondered Thursday, before the Pirates' 4-2 loss against Philadelphia assured them of the spring training basement -- with two games left in Citizens Bank Park -- and losses in 15 of their past 19 exhibitions.
For the record, Arizona finished last overall last spring (11-23) on its way to a 70-92 record.
The Yankees topped the Grapefruit League at 24-10-1 last spring and won the World Series.
Game: Pirates vs. Philadelphia Phillies, Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m. RHP Ross Ohlendorf vs. LHP Cole Hamels.
TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WPGB-FM (104.7).
Camp roster: : 29 players, including 14 pitchers, two catchers, eight infielders, five outfielders.
Injuries: RHP Joel Hanrahan (elbow), RHP Jose Ascanio (shoulder).
Opener: Three days until the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park.
"You're held accountable for what you do during the [regular] season," Russell said. "When we get done with the season, that's what they'll look at; they won't look back to spring training.
"I thought we played well. A lot of your games in spring training are decided by your Triple-A, Double-A team, anyway. A lot of games we were leading [and] we lost late. You want to make sure your guys are ready, that they start to jell. Our bats are starting to come around now. Our starters have done a nice job. Our bullpen is starting to lock in. You want to make sure you're ready on Monday" for the opener.
Histories are sketchy, but the worst Pirates spring the past quarter-century is believed to be 1985, when they went 6-18 en route to a 58-104 record -- the most losses in the franchise's past 57 years.
Spring records, Octavio Dotel said after the game Thursday, are no measure.
"In 2003, Houston, we were terrible [in spring], and we won the division," said the Pirates' new closer, who gave up a home run to Philadelphia's Dewayne Wise on his first pitch of the ninth -- only the second hit and the first run off him in four outings -- then struck out two of the next three batters. "That's what people are trying to get here: ready. It's always good to win, of course. But it's not your main thing."
"The record, you can throw all that out the window," added outfielder Ryan Church, another newcomer. "Doesn't mean anything. From day one, when they talked to us [about it] the first day of camp, a lot of guys really took it to heart: Put the effort in, and you'll see things happen. Spring went well. I think it went really well."
Thursday, the Pirates made the kind of mistakes Russell hoped to eliminate this spring.
Beyond first baseman-in-training Jeff Clement diving and missing a Jimmy Rollins grounder later ruled an error, there was a pop-up that dropped in short right field between Church and second baseman Aki Iwamura, and an Andrew McCutchen throw home that sailed over catcher Ryan Doumit's head.
"You like to see mistakes in spring training, so you have something to work on," Russell said. "We were able to clean up a lot of different things. That's what spring training's for."
He sees a difference in the 2010 Pirates from '09 "in all areas."
These players, he said, "know they're going to be together for the most part. And I think they're starting to thrive off that. There was some great interaction [Wednesday in Lakeland]: We got down big, they came right back. They're pulling for each other. Just the team chemistry, they're all kind of in it together now. I think that's the biggest thing we'll be able to ride on when things start going a little rough.
"You have 162 games, you're going to have tough stretches. You start hearing 'Here we go again. Here comes the 18 years. These guys are never going to win.' All the finger-pointing starts from the outside. And these guys will really stick together."
• Daniel McCutchen allowed six singles and two earned runs in 51/3 innings in his final start until April 11, when he is scheduled to take a turn at Arizona. He will pitch in a minor league exhibition or simulated game Tuesday in Pirate City. "I got a long 10 days to work on my stuff. I'm not taking anything for granted, though. I'm not sitting here getting comfortable with my position."
• The Pirates remained two players over the 25-man limit, excluding the expected disabled-list transactions with relievers Joel Hanrahan and Jose Ascanio. "We're going to take as much time as we need to make sure it's set," Russell said. The debate over 12 pitchers-13 position players and 11-14? He added, "We'll know by 3 o'clock on Sunday."
• At least 11 members of the Altoona Curve are joining the Pirates for the two games in Philadelphia.
First Published: April 2, 2010, 8:00 a.m.
