BRADENTON, Fla. - Sean Burnett took another stride toward making the Pirates' bullpen, delivering a seventh consecutive appearance without a run ... or a hit.

Burnett pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning in an 8-0 blanking of the New York Yankees this afternoon at McKechnie Field, striking out Chris Woodward and retiring Jason Brown and Melky Cabrera on grounders to short. He needed only 11 pitches.

"I'm just really enjoying this," Burnett said. "Everything I do out there feels like a lot of fun right now."

In Burnett's 10 innings this spring, he has allowed one run and three hits, and all of those came in his first outing Feb. 29. He is one of several relievers vying for four openings in the Pirates' bullpen.

Does he feel he should make the roster?

"I feel like I've earned a pretty darned good opportunity," he said. "I knew what I expected of myself, and I feel like I've done that here."

Paul Maholm pitched six scoreless innings, and two other relievers battling for jobs - Jaret Wright and Byung-Hyun Kim - also went 1-2-3.

Jose Bautista was the offensive standout. He entered the game batting .179 but went 2 for 2 with two doubles, a hit batsman and three RBIs. For good measure, he also he turned two above-average plays at third base.

"He's playing with some energy," manager John Russell said. "We've worked with Jose on his preparational defense, and I think you saw on those two plays that he was in good position to charge both of those balls."

Maholm faced only a third of New York's regular lineup - Cabrera, Robinson Cano and Hideki Matsui - allowed two hits and three walks while striking out two.

How sharp was he?

Consider that, of those two hits, one was a soft liner that second baseman Luis Rivas let skip off his glove, the other a Matsui squibber through the right side. And Maholm promptly picked off Matsui.

Consider, too, that Maholm opened the fifth inning with two walks and a 2-0 count on the next batter. Then, after a visit from pitching coach Jeff Andrews, he got two groundouts, including an inning-ending double play.

"Paul has thrown very well all spring," Russell said.

It was Maholm's fifth and final official appearance of the spring, and he wound up with a 3.60 ERA. He will pitch six innings in a minor-league game Friday.

In the regular season, Russell announced, Maholm will take the third turn, behind Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny in Atlanta. Matt Morris will open the next series in Miami, followed by Zach Duke and Snell.

The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the second on Luis Rivas' RBI single. Bautista tried to score from second on the play but was thrown out at home by right fielder Jason Lane.

Three more runs came in the fourth. Adam LaRoche, Xavier Nady and Bautista opened the inning with doubles to chase New York starter Jeff Karstens, and Ronny Paulino and Rivas followed with singles.

Two more in the sixth came as the result of some serious small-ball. After two were aboard, Rivas bunted them to second and third. Doug Mientkiewicz's sacrifice fly brought one run, Nyjer Morgan's six-bouncer through the middle another, and it was 6-0.

The Pirates are 9-15 in Grapefruit League play.

Tomorrow, Matt Morris will start against the Tampa Bay Rays' Edwin Jackson, 1:05 p.m. in St. Petersburg, Fla.