Zane Smith, a non-roster lefty who is trying not only to win a job in the rotation but also to save his career, had been one of the pleasant surprises of the Pirates’ camp–until Thursday.
But after his former Boston teammates worked him over for eight runs on eight hits–four of them homers, including two long-distance shots by Jose Canseco in a 15-4 Red Sox victory–Smith sounded like a pitcher in fear for his job.
“I’m not going to predict what will happen. I’ve been around the game long enough,” said Smith, 35. who was 43-35 with Pittsburgh from 1990-94. “I don’t want to be one of those guys who gets out of the game and then says, `What if?’ If it doesn’t happen, it’ll be over and I can say I tried.
“It has been good for me up until this point. But this is the worst outing I’ve had and it doesn’t help my confidence.”
