BRADENTON, Fla. -- Sometimes, even Homer Bailey forgets he's just 22 years old.
"I have to kind of sit back and keep in mind that I still have a lot of time ahead of me and everything is a learning process," the Cincinnati Reds right-hander Bailey said. "Instead of getting frustrated, I have to step back, take a deep breath and let it sink in."
Bailey did just that Monday, and he threw three scoreless innings for the Reds in a 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He gave up a hit and a walk, and struck out four.
It was a positive step for Bailey, who is trying to reclaim his status as a top prospect with the Reds after a subpar 2008 season.
"I think every year is kind of a fresh start," Bailey said. "But I have a little self-motivation that I'm trying to work with. So far, everything's going well."
Bailey went 0-6 with a 7.93 ERA in two stints in the majors. It was a major disappointment after he went 4-2 with a 5.76 ERA during a 2007 callup.
He was the Reds' first-round draft pick (seventh overall) in 2004. Several players from that draft class, including Justin Verlander and Jered Weaver, are productive major leaguers.
"When you go through a year like last year, you can't help but have a few things knock around inside your head," said Bailey, who admitted he at times was lazy during his offseason workouts a year ago.
"Some guys come in to camp a little bit out of shape and in the middle of the season it catches up to them," Bailey said. "I remember when it caught up to me last year, and it wasn't going to happen again."
Left-hander Zach Duke started for the Pirates and threw two scoreless innings. After going 5-14 with a 4.82 ERA last season, Duke knows he is not guaranteed a job.
"I think we all know we have something to prove this year," Duke said of the starting staff that did not produce a double-digit winner in 2008. "We all took what happened last season very personally. There are some guys now who are nipping at our heels and trying to take our jobs. We like our jobs, and we're working hard to keep them."
Daniel McCutchen, who is among 10 candidates for the Pirates' rotation, gave up a run in the fourth inning. Brandon Phillips doubled to center and scored on Jonny Gomes' sacrifice fly.
The Pirates tied the game 1-all in the seventh on Ryan Doumit's sacrifice fly. In the eighth, Andy Phillips put the Pirates ahead with an RBI single off Josh Roenicke.
Notes
Reds right-hander Ramon Ramirez was added to Venezuela's roster for the World Baseball Class. Ramirez, 26, is a candidate for the fifth spot in the Reds' starting rotation. ... The Reds agreed to one-year contracts with Bailey and right-hander Nick Massett. Two players remain unsigned.
