Before Baltimore broke through against the Pittsburgh bullpen, it could not solve Nicasio. The right-hander entered the game with six scoreless innings and six strikeouts this spring, then tore through an Orioles lineup filled with regulars.
Over four innings, he allowed only a Manny Machado single and a Chris Davis hit-by-pitch but struck out every member of the Baltimore lineup at least once, except for left fielder Hyun Soo Kim. Over 70 career starts in the Majors, Nicasio has reached 10 K's only once, for the Rockies back on July 31, 2011.