Pittsburgh Pirates Takeaways & Throwaways – Game Three

After each tilt in the 2016 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Pirates Breakdown will give you the takeaways and throwaways of each game.

The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 on Wednesday, sweeping the three game series against their division foes. This is also the first time they have started a season 3-0 since 2007. Here’s a quick rundown of the happenings from the third game of the season.

• Juan Nicasio brought the success he had in Bradenton with him to Pittsburgh. He went six strong innings and only gave up two hits while striking out seven while walking none. At least after one start it appears the Pirates made the right decision to put him in the rotation and move Ryan Vogelsong to the bullpen. Nicasio has all the makings to be one of the best bargains of the offseason if he keeps making starts like this.
• The offense showed great patience against Mike Leake to start the game. The hitters made Leake throw 42 pitches in the first frame, and while it only resulted in one run, it definitely shortened the night for Leake. It seems that the offense as a whole have taken a different approach at the plate. The hitter drew more walks (7) than strikeouts (5) last night, which is a formula to win a lot of games.
• Nicasio only made one mistake, and that was the deep home run that Jeremy Hazelbaker hit in the sixth inning. But considering the way he pitched, it’s hard to complain that he gave up a solo home run.
• It was also great to see Cory Luebke make his first appearance in a MLB game since 2012. He wasn’t able to finish the ninth inning, but he threw 11 of his 20 pitches for strikes and hopefully can use this performance to build his confidence after so many years out of the game.

W – Nicasio (1-0)

L – Leake (0-1)

S – Mark Melancon (1)

Line of the Night: This definitely goes to Nicasio after his tremendous performance on Wednesday.

Next up: The Pirates are off on Thursday before starting a three game series in Cincinnati on Friday at 7:05pm. Francisco Liriano and Alfredo Simon will take the mound for their clubs. Liriano will look to have another strong outing following his Opening Day start, and the Reds may be just the team for him to face and keep the good starts coming.