It was never a secret that this year’s Orioles lineup would be vulnerable to the strikeout, but Pittsburgh Pirates starter Juan Nicasio showed just how vulnerable it could be Wednesday.
Nicasio struck out 10 batters in just four innings during an impressive display of mid-spring command that victimized every starter in the Orioles batting order except outfielder Hyun Soo Kim. The Pirates took advantage of that dominating performance to take an early three-run lead, but the Orioles stormed back to score a 9-3 victory before a sellout crowd of 7,842 at Ed Smith Stadium.