Yay, ties! Pittsburgh Pirates 1, Toronto Blue Jays 1

Mar 31, 2017; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon (50) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning at Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2017; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon (50) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning at Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays played in Montreal on Friday night

The Pittsburgh Pirates traveled north of the border on Friday night. Once there, they battled the Toronto Blue Jays at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. There, the two teams battled to a 1-1 tie.

On Saturday, the two teams will play once again. However, on Saturday, the two teams will play in the afternoon. Frist pitch is scheduled for 1:07 PM at Olympic Stadium.

Jameson Taillon started for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. In his final tune-up for the regular season, Taillon pitched three innings. In these three innings pitched he allowed one run on three hits, one walk, and two strikeouts.

Taillon’s curveball was fantastic on Friday night. His fastball also had a very good sink and great, late movement. Look for Jameson Taillon to have a great season in 2017.

More from Rum Bunter

Wade LeBlanc followed Taillon in the fourth inning. He is currently battling for a spot in the Pirate bullpen. LeBlanc struck out two batters in a 1-2-3 inning pitched.

Daniel Huson, Felipe Rivero, Juan Nicasio, Antonio Bastardo, and Tyler Webb all pitched scoreless innings as well. Rivero struck out three, with a single allowed, in his inning of work. Daniel Hudson fanned a pair, Nicasio pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning, and Bastardo and Webb each worked around a baserunner in their innings of work.

Right now, five of the seven spots in the Pirate bullpen are set in stone. Wade LeBlanc and Tyler Webb remain in competition for the final two spots.

Odds are, both will not make the team. This would give the Pirates five left-handed relievers which is not very smart. One of those two will make the team, with the other bullpen spot, most likely, going to whoever does not make the rotation between Trevor Williams and Tyler Glasnow.

The lone Pirate run came when Adam Frazier hit a RBI triple scoring Jordy Mercer in the fifth inning. Frazier, who finished 2-for-3 was thrown out going for home. As for Mercer, he also went 2-for-3.

Starling Marte went 0-for-4, Andrew McCutchen was 0-for-3, and Francisco Cervelli was 0-for-3. John Jaso and David Freese each collected one base hit, and Josh Harrison was 2-for-3.

Alen Hanson, Phil Gosselin, and Jose Osuna are competing for the final two spots on the Pirate bench. All three players were 0-for-1 at the plate on Friday night.

Next: A Different Look At The Pirate Rotation

When the Pirates and Blue Jays play tomorrow, the pitching matchup will be Chad Kuhl against Francisco Liriano. Tyler Glasnow is scheduled to follow Kuhl. Tomorrow’s game will be broadcast on the MLB Network.