PIRATES NOTEBOOK From PNC Park

Openers: In 118 seasons, the Pirates are 63-55 in openers, with 49 wins coming on the road. They are 14-12 in Pittsburgh.
Nine in a row: Pirates catcher Jason Kendall, 29, made his ninth straight opening day start. Kendall, who has a $42 million contract that covers four seasons, had one hit in four at-bats in the second spot.
Home openers: The Pirates are 70-48 in home openers. They had lost eight straight until beating the Reds in 2002. The Bucs are 2-2 in openers at PNC Park. This three-game series against the Phillies is the first time the Bucs have opened the season at home since 2000.
Changes: The Pirates have just 11 players back from the 2003 opening day roster. Kendall, shortstop Jack Wilson and first baseman Randall Simon were the only starters Monday who were in the Bucs' 2003 opening day lineup. Last summer, Simon was traded to the Cubs then released in the off-season. Right fielder Craig Wilson, who homered in the sixth inning, was a starter in the 2002 opener.
Familiar face: Closer Jose Mesa, an Indians reliever from 1992-98, is the oldest Pirate -- age 38. Mesa was a reliever for the Phillies from 2001-03, earning 111 saves. Mesa earned his 250th career save by retiring the Phillies in order in the ninth inning, all on flyouts. Mesa said knowledge of his former teammates wasn't a factor. "The advantage is to the hitter because they know what you are throwing," Mesa said.
Rookies: The Pirates have five rookies on the roster: infielder Jose Castilla, catcher Humberto Cota, outfielder J.J. Davis and left-handed pitchers John Grabow and Mike Johnston. Davis entered Monday's game as a pinch-runner for Simon in the eighth inning and stole second base off pitcher Roberto Hernandez. He took over in right field for Craig Wilson, who moved to first base to replace Simon.
Easy decision: Because starting pitcher Kip Wells threw 105 pitches in six innings, Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said pulling him wasn't a hard decision even though he struck out the last three batters he faced. "With youngsters, history tells us that a big inning like that really drains them. But 105 made it an easy decision," McClendon said. Wells agreed. "I told them I could continue, but it's April 5 and it's cold -- I understood why they didn't want me to continue. Having those two long innings early on, I was behind the eight-ball as far as trying to have a long outing." Wells threw 50 pitches in the first two innings, giving up a single to Pat Burrell in the first and walking two batters in the second.
Former Indians: Phillies first baseman Jim Thome went 0-for-4. He grounded out, hit into a fielder's choice and popped out against Wells. Salomon Torres struck out the former Indians slugger to end the seventh inning. The Phillies have two other players with Cleveland connections: third baseman David Bell (107 games in 1998) and outfielder Ricky Ledee (17 games in 2000). Charlie Manuel, the Indians manager from 2000-02, is special assistant to the general manager, Ed Wade. Manuel was the Indians batting coach from 1994-99 before replacing Mike Hargrove. He resigned as Indians skipper just after the All-Star Game break in 2002 when Indians GM Mark Shapiro refused to extend his contract.
On deck: The Pirates and Phillies resume the season Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. Kris Benson (5-9, 4.97 earned run average in 2003) will duel Philadelphia's Randy Wolf (16-10, 4.23) on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Bucs will send Ryan Vogelsong (2-2, 6.55) against Vincente Padilla (14-12, 3.62). The Pirates hit the road Friday for a nine-game trip to Cincinnati, Chicago and New York. Josh Fogg, Wells and Oliver Perez will pitch for the Pirates against the Reds.
-- Tom Williams