PITTSBURGH -- Jonah Bayliss was a long shot to make the Pirates out of Spring Training. After watching his chances of making the team take a hit when he was sidelined because of a left quad injury, Bayliss felt he had to catch up in a hurry.

Good things happened, and Bayliss pitched well enough to win a spot in the bullpen.

"I lost maybe three weeks or so with that leg injury," Bayliss reported. "I knew coming back that I wasn't going to have a whole lot of time to be able to prove myself, and I just put my nose to the grindstone and bared down and did what I could do. And now I'm here, and I hope to keep it rolling."

Now Bayliss is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the Pirates' bullpen. The 26-year-old right-hander has been scored upon in just two of his 14 appearances, and he is 2-1 on the season with a 3.00 ERA.

Pirates manager Jim Tracy gave kudos to Bayliss for the work he's done to become an effective reliever.

"He got himself through a leg issue that he had in Spring Training," Tracy stated. "And since he's gone to the mound, he's done nothing but what our people -- Trent Jewett [manager] and Jeff Andrews [pitching coach] -- in Triple-A [Indianapolis], said he would do: he's going to compete and he's going to challenge you. He has done a terrific job."

Bayliss had something to prove to the Pirates' brass after his first stint in the big leagues last year.

"My first time up last year, for whatever reason, I think it was a mental issue personally with me, but it wasn't clicking," Bayliss observed. "I went back down to Triple-A and everything was fine, and I came back with a mentality of trying to show them that their first experience wasn't really me, trying to disprove their first perception and let them know that I'm all right."

Bayliss had 23 saves and a 2.17 ERA in 46 games for Indianapolis last season and felt that the closer role helped him develop a sharper edge as a pitcher.

"Definitely, closing is like nothing else in baseball," Bayliss explained. "To come in there in that ninth inning and have the whole team relying on you and to try and come in and shut the door, the adrenaline rush, the pressure, you just feed off it. It's an amazing feeling. At the same time, that being said, when things go wrong it's a horrible feeling."

Tracy is confident in Bayliss and feels no reluctance to hand him the baseball in a pressure situation.

"What Bayliss has convinced me of is the fact that if you're going to beat him you are going to have to hit the ball," Tracy offered. "He's proven to us that he's a strike-thrower, he has a fearless approach, he's very good at using both sides of the plate with his fastball and he has a terrific pitch in that changeup."

For his part, Bayliss is just enjoying the ride.

"It's been a lot of fun," Bayliss said. "Obviously, anytime you're experiencing some success it makes your job a lot more fun to show up to. But it's been great, and I've just been going out there and whenever the phone rings and it's for me, just give me the ball and I'll go out there and give you what I've got."

All-Star vote: Beginning Tuesday at PNC Park, fans are able to vote for the players for this year's All-Star Game, which is scheduled to be played at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Tuesday, July 10. A total of eight Pirates are on this year's ballot (Jason Bay, Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson, Adam LaRoche, Jose Bautista, Chris Duffy, Xavier Nady and Ronny Paulino). Voting at PNC Park will continue through June 17.

Balloting is also currently available on Pirates.com. Using the online method, fans can cast their votes up to 25 total times for their favorite players. Online balloting is currently available and will continue until Thursday, June 28 at 11:59 p.m. (EDT).

"The fan support our players received in last year's All-Star balloting was tremendous," said Kevin McClatchy, Pirates CEO. "We were thrilled to have both Jason Bay and Freddy Sanchez represent the Pirates and our region on an international stage. We hope that our fans will once again respond with their votes to ensure our deserving players are given a similar opportunity this year."

Minor matters: Bryan Bullington allowed just five hits over seven scoreless innings as Indianapolis rolled to a 4-0 blanking of Ottawa on Monday.

Bullington (7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO), who missed all of 2006 while recovering from right shoulder surgery, improved to 4-0 with the victory and lowered his ERA to 1.17.

Jewett said Bullington has been terrific.

"I am pleased. He's got good life on his pitches at the plate," Jewett reported. "That's something that's been very noticeable. His velocity is similar to where he was previous to the injury. He's still pitching at 90 to 93 mph, generally in the 90 to 91 range. His ball is explosive at the plate right now, and that's been a big key to his success. He's done an exceptional job."

The Pirates on Monday promoted outfielder Jamie Romak -- acquired from Atlanta in the LaRoche trade -- from Hickory to Lynchburg. Romak batted .275 at Hickory with five home runs and 15 RBIs in 20 games.

On deck: The Pirates close out their three-game series with the Cubs with a 12:35 p.m. ET contest at PNC Park on Wednesday. Right-hander Ian Snell (2-1, 1.59) will be on the hill for the Bucs, while the Cubs will counter with right-hander Jason Marquis (3-1, 2.35).