Nicasio limited a team of Triple-A batters from the Blue Jays to one run in six innings Sunday. He gave up eight hits and two walks, striking out five, Adam Berry of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

EDGE Analysis

He threw 57 of 90 pitches for strikes and has outpitched both Ryan Vogelsong and Jeff Locke in spring training. The Pirates have not decided which of the three hurlers will slot into the fourth and fifth spots of the rotation, but Nicasio has thrown 15 scoreless innings with 24 strikeouts against major-league hitting. Pirates GM Neal Huntington is expected to speak on the matter later Sunday.