Fresh off of what is likely to be his final rehabilitation assignment before rejoining the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitcher Zach Duke stood pressed against the State College Spikes' clubhouse wall surrounded by reporters. With several voice recorders held toward his face, he was calm, cool and collected while he fielded post-game questions.

He had the poise and look of a man completely comfortable and in command of his situation. In command not only of the moment, but for what must have been the first time in months, his career.

On a night when the Spikes' parent club saw two of their prized top young pitchers combine to surrender 10 runs in four and a third innings, the club received some desperately needed good news.

Not only did its Single-A affiliate Spikes win 4-1 but its star pitcher, Duke, had five and two-thirds innings of three hit, one run baseball.

Perhaps the best news last night was that Duke, once considered Pittsburgh's top prospect, had moments where he looked like vintage Zach Duke. The Zach Duke who went 8-2 with an ERA of 1.81 his rookie season.

"I'm definitely closer [to returning to the Pirates] than I was before," Duke said. "This was a big step for me as far as confidence and just getting the repetition. It was very positive for me."

Last night could turn out to be a huge positive for a pitcher who's struggled to return to the promise he showed as a rookie almost two seasons ago. It could turn out to be a huge positive for a pitcher who's left the Pittsburgh faithful unsatisfied.

"[My career] took a little sidetrack," Duke said. "I stopped being myself pretty much. Anytime somebody has a certain level of success and never quite gets to that level again, there's always going to be some frustration."

The frustration most likely boiled over when the Pirates shut Duke down for most of the summer with elbow tendonitis.

"It's been kind of tough on me," Duke said. "I take pride in taking the ball every fifth day and going up there and giving them a consistent performance. "

Duke talked of how his approach to hitters and game planning changed. But most promising, he talked of how he can feel his command, and the aspect of his game that was most important, coming back.