PIRATES Winning series is good start

Pittsburgh starter Ryan Vogelsong occasionally reached 96 mph while striking out seven.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Ryan Vogelsong carried his strong March into April, and gave the Pittsburgh Pirates something they didn't have last season until June: a series victory at home.
Vogelsong, who forced his way into the Pirates' rotation with a breakout spring training, limited the Philadelphia Phillies to a run and six hits over seven innings in Pittsburgh's 6-2 victory Thursday night.
With former Phillies closer Jose Mesa saving both victories, the Pirates took two of three in the series; a year ago, they dropped their first seven series at home and didn't win a set until taking two of three from Montreal in mid-June.
Bright spot
Bobby Hill, another spring training surprise, had two hits and drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the sixth off Vicente Padilla (0-1). Raul Mondesi added a two-run homer, his first with Pittsburgh, in a three-run seventh following Jason Kendall's RBI single off reliever Roberto Hernandez.
Kendall also had an RBI single in the third, and Jack Wilson hit a solo homer in the eighth.
"I said it in spring training: I think we're going to surprise a lot of people," Mondesi said.
Vogelsong (1-0), one of the NL's top starters during spring training with a 2.05 ERA, was just as sharp -- and, at times, dominating -- as he was in Florida, occasionally hitting 96 mph on the radar gun while striking out seven.
He also showed he can pitch out of trouble, something he struggled to do in several previous short stints in the majors.
Before this season, he was 2-7 with a 6.03 ERA in 25 games before and after having reconstructive elbow surgery in 2001.
"I wanted to stay aggressive in the [strike] zone and stay confident," Vogelsong said. "I wanted to keep doing the things I was doing in spring training."
Bowa isn't happy
The Phillies are carrying over what they did in spring training, where they lost 11 of their last 12 and scored two or fewer runs in eight games. They were held to eight runs in the three-game series and were 4-for-30 with runners in scoring position.
"You're not going to win a lot of games scoring one or two runs, no matter who you play," manager Larry Bowa said.
"All of their starters were very impressive, but we're just not scoring runs."
Salomon Torres allowed a run in 12/3 innings of relief, giving up an RBI double to Byrd in the ninth. Mesa entered with runners on second and third and two outs, and got Placido Polanco to ground out to short for the save.