PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- If you want to hear a Major Leaguer grumble under his breath, check out the first day the hitters go up against live pitching each spring.

Hence why Saturday afternoon at the Charlotte Sports Complex, there was plenty to grumble about. Rays hitters stepped up to the plate to face live pitching for the first time this spring.

Carlos Pena had his turn in the batter's box and managed to keep a sense of humor about the necessary evil he called "one of the most important parts of Spring Training," since it is part of the transition from batting practice to hitting in games.

"Since we haven't seen live pitching for a while, sometimes it's a little bit of an adventure," Pena said. "... It's always funny, and we're always challenging each other to see if we can make contact the first time out."

Pena faced Julio DePaula and said the right-hander's pitches looked like they were "coming 110 mph."

"It's like anything, you have to settle in, like, 'It's OK, you've done this a million times in your life, so let's just get back to basics,'" Pena said. "But at first, you can't help it, you get kind of excited."

On the whole, Pena said he did OK for the first time out.

"Hit a couple of fly balls to center," Pena said. "Ground balls, fouled off a couple of pitches ... and no broken bats."

Pena spoke through a smile when he said the pitchers have all the advantages on a day like Saturday.

"Everything is on their side," Pena said. "They have a feast with us."

If that wasn't enough, according to Shawn Riggans, who caught live batting practice, the umpire was even on the pitchers' side. Xavier Hernandez, who is Triple-A Durham's pitching coach, called the balls and strikes.

"Everything he calls is a strike," Riggans said.