BRADENTON, Fla. -- Jameson Taillon might not have quite been in regular-season form but he was very close.
The right-hander allowed one unearned run in five innings Sunday as the Pirates beat the Red Sox, 8-1, in an exhibition game at LECOM Park. Taillon also struck out six and walked none while giving up four hits.
“I have to work on the pitch count,” Taillon said with a smile.
Yes, it took Taillon 73 pitches to get his 15 outs. Nevertheless, he seems ready for the season opener March 28 in Cincinnati. He also looked sharper than in his Grapefruit League on Tuesday against the Twins. He surrendered three runs and five hits in four innings in that game.
“I got my work in and everything felt like it was coming together,” Taillon said. “The last start, I wasn’t nervous, but I felt fresh because it was the first time facing other (team’s) hitters. This time, I felt settled in. I felt like I had a good rhythm from the start.”
Taillon’s first three starts came in simulated games against teammates at Pirate City. While those games enabled him to work on his pitches in a non-pressurized situation, he is using the major-league exhibitions to sharpen his overall approach.
“I’m not working on stuff quite as much now,” he said. “I’m throwing what I’m going to be throwing in certain situations in a regular-season game. When I got a runner on first base, I tried to get a ground ball for a double play.”
Taillon succeeded in that regard as the Pirates turned two double plays behind him.
He has one tune-up remaining before the opener. He will pitch two or three innings either against the Rays on Friday in Port Charlotte, Fla., or Saturday against the Phillies in Bradenton.
“I’m excited for what’s to come,” said Taillon, who also hit an RBI single in his first plate appearance of the spring. “Opening day isn’t too far off now.”
Nick Burdi pitched two shutout innings in his bid to make the team as a Rule 5 player. Francisco Liriano and Brandon Maurer worked one scoreless inning each.
• For the second time in three days, Starling Marte hit a home run to left field that went completely out of the ballpark and landed in the parking lot.
This time, Marte hit a three-run blast in the sixth off Domingo Tapia that put the Pirates ahead 7-1. He is 6-for-22 (.273) with two doubles and three home runs this spring.
The Pirates are counting on Marte from the No. 2 spot to combined with leadoff hitter Adam Frazier to give them a solid combination at the top of the batting order.
“He’s swung the bat from a strong position,” Clint Hurdle said of Marte. “When he’s getting on base, he’s looking for opportunities to run, so he’s healthy. He’s seeing pitches. He’s heading into a good position to start the season.”
Corey Dickerson, who has been hitting third in most of his appearances, went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and is 10-for-21 (.476) with two doubles, a triple and two homers.
• Jake Barrett said he felt fine a day after making his first appearance of the exhibition season. The reliever pitched one scoreless inning against the Tigers in Lakeland, working around a pair of hits.
It has been an unsettled spring training for Barrett.
The Diamondback sold Barrett’s contract to the Giants on Feb. 5, less than a week before the start of spring training after designating him for assignment.
Three weeks later, the Giants DFA’s Barrett and the Pirates claimed him off waivers on March 1.
“It definitely felt good to get out there and have my body feel good,” Barrett told me. “If (stinks) a little waiting so long to get on the field but, ultimately, you’re still play baseball.”
• There was a sellout crowd of 8,346 on hand on a sunny St. Patrick’s Day.
That worked out well for the guys who work as assistants in the Pirates’ clubhouse. They held the winning ticket in the 50/50 raffle, which paid a little over $10,000.
“Good for them,” Joe Musgrove said. “That’s the best news of the day.”
• The Pirates play the Rays at 1:05 p.m. tomorrow in Port Charlotte, Fla. Nick Kingham will start against former Pirate Charlie Morton.
Also expected to pitch for the Pirates are Kyle Crick, Richard Rodriguez and Tyler Lyons.
Jordan Lyles will pitch a four-inning simulated game. He left his previous Grapefruit League start on Tuesday after two innings because of cramping in his right side.
Lyles is considered the favorite in the fifth starter’s competition that includes Kingham, Steven Brault and Rookie Davis.
PERROTTO’S VIEWS
Taillon was facing a lineup that includes just three regulars in Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts and Steve Pearce. Nevertheless, he was very effective, and his fastball had outstanding life. It is hard to quibble with him starting the opener.
Burdi is quietly making a solid push to be on the opening-day roster. If he does not make the team, he must be offered back to the Phillies as part of the Rule 5 process, so that should work in his favor.
Liriano looked better Sunday than in recent outings and helped his chances of making the team.
Maurer, the one-time Padres’ closer is a longshot to make the team. However, he has looked much better since missing two weeks with a knee injury and should provide depth at Triple-A Indianapolis if he does not exercise an opt-out clause in his contract.
The same can be said for Barrett, though he is on the 40-man roster and can be optioned to the minors.
Marte hit a career-high 20 home runs last season. Many scouts have long envisioned Marte being a 30-homer guy and this may be the year as he is hitting the ball hard.
After concentrating on hitting for average and batting .300 last season, Dickerson seems to have regained some of his lost power. His home run total dipped to 13 last season after hitting 27 in 2017 for the Rays.
