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Gorzelanny, a 23-year-old top pitching prospect who'll make his season debut tonight against the Detroit Tigers, doesn't view his promotion as a chance to show he can pitch in the major leagues.

He's expecting more.

"This is it. I have to succeed," Gorzelanny said Friday after joining the Pirates following his recall from Triple-A Indianapolis. "The teams needs me. I'm here to do my best and help them win."

It was a different experience for Gorzelanny last year when he was promoted from Double-A Altoona and spent the final three weeks with the Pirates. He was used sparingly, making one start and pitching twice in relief.

Sent to Indianapolis in spring training to continue his development, Gorzelanny went 6-5 with a 2.35 ERA that was fourth-lowest in the International League. He also led the circuit with 94 strikeouts while issuing just 27 walks in 992/3 innings.

Still, it wasn't until the Pirates became exasperated with Oliver Perez that Gorzelanny received his second chance to pitch in the majors. Perez was dispatched with a 2-10 record and 6.63 ERA in 15 starts.

Gorzelanny was content biding his time.

"It's always got to be the right opportunity to go," said Gorzelanny, the Pirates' second-round pick in the 2003 draft. "I wanted to make sure that when I got up here, it was for a reason, that I'd be ready to stay up here, not just to see what happens.

"I believe I'm here to stay."

Such talk has caught the attention of Pirates manager Jim Tracy.

"You can just tell there is a confidence level there that he's reached that you're very intrigued by," Tracy said. "That obviously comes from the success he's had. You start talking about those attributes and more times than not, it leads to being a very successful guy."

It's not lost on Gorzelanny that Zach Duke was in a virtually identical situation last season. Duke joined the Pirates on July 1, a few days after Perez was placed on the disabled list for breaking his toe while kicking a laundry cart.

All Duke did was go 8-2 with an 1.81 ERA in 14 starts.

"I'm aware of that, but it's not on my mind," Gorzelanny said. "I expect to succeed, but I don't think I need to go (8-2) to make everyone feel like I'm worth it."

Providing the consistency in the rotation that Perez lacked will suffice.

"This is a good opportunity for me, and I'm ready to go at it," Gorzelanny said. "I want to succeed at this level."

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