Juan Nicasio
RP FA
Sun 5/29/16 11:03 PM

Nicasio appears to be the odd man out of the rotation, if and when the Pirates promote one of their pitching prospects following the Super 2 arbitration date.
EDGE Analysis
The righty holds a 6.75 ERA in May and has been outpitched by Jon Niese and Jeff Locke, both of whom were thought to be on the rotation bubble at one time or another. Nicasio registered a 3.86 ERA in 2015 as a reliever and Pittsburgh could use additional bullpen help. His fastball, which averaged 95.1 mph out of the pen last year, has dropped to 93.3 mph.

Juan Nicasio
RP FA
Sun 5/29/16 12:10 AM

Nicasio (4-4) allowed four runs on seven hits, including two homers in a loss to the Rangers on Saturday. He also struck out four and walked one.
EDGE Analysis
The right-hander pitched a little bit more to contact in Texas and induced mostly ground balls, but two of the three fly balls he allowed landed out of the ballpark. Nicasio has a healthy 9.0 K/9, but he has also tossed up seven bombs in his last 32 innings. That's help elevate his ERA to 4.79. His next start will be Thursday against Miami.

Juan Nicasio
RP FA
Mon 5/23/16 12:11 PM

Nicasio won't start until his next turn of the rotation, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
Nicasio was originally slated to pitch Sunday against the Rockies, but after that game was rained out and moved to Monday, the Pirates instead decided to have Ryan Vogelsong take the ball for the makeup game. This may seem a bit puzzling that they wouldn't just slide Nicasio to Monday, but considering that the 29-year-old spent nearly all of 2015 as a reliever and only fired 58.1 innings all of last year (as opposed to the 42.1 he's already thrown this year), it seems the Pirates are simply watching his workload in an effort to keep him fresh all season. His next matchup will now likely come Saturday against the Rangers, who are averaging 4.5 runs per game over the past week.

Juan Nicasio
RP FA
Wed 5/18/16 1:29 AM

Nicasio was charged with five runs (three earned) on eight hits and two walks over five innings in a win over the Braves on Tuesday. He struck out six.
EDGE Analysis
It wasn't his best or most efficient outing, but Nicasio didn't need to do much to beat Aaron Blair, who was knocked around for nine runs in 1.1 innings. Nicasio has now gone three straight turns without a quality start, but he's striking out a batter per inning, and his hard-hit rate was the lowest among qualified starters entering Tuesday's game at just over 17 percent.

Juan Nicasio
RP FA
Thu 5/12/16 1:26 AM

Nicasio gave up four runs on four hits over six innings Wednesday in a no-decision against the Reds. He struck out five without a walk, but did hit a batter.
EDGE Analysis
That's about as well as you can pitch in a four-run outing, as Nicasio put barely anyone on base, but pretty much everyone who did reach ended up scoring. A popular fantasy sleeper after his huge spring, Nicasio's been only so-so in the season's first month-plus -- his ERA's not pretty at 4.34, but he does have 37 strikeouts in 37.1 innings. Sure, he's got 15 walks too, but a full third of those came in just one start. All in all, Nicasio's shown positive signs and remains worth owning, especially with pitching so thin on most fantasy waiver wires this year.

Juan Nicasio
RP FA
Tue 5/10/16 8:36 PM

Nicasio will start Wednesday against the Reds, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
The Pirates could have started Francisco Liriano on normal rest and skipped Nicasio following Tuesday's rainout, but they will keep Nicasio on schedule move Liriano back to start the opener of a slightly more important series this weekend in Chicago. Nicasio has been excellent at home so far this season, but he's allowed six runs over eight innings in his two road starts to this point.

Juan Nicasio
RP FA
Tue 5/10/16 8:19 PM

Nicasio will not make his scheduled start Tuesday against the Reds as the game has been postponed due to rain.
EDGE Analysis
The Reds are just moving Alfredo Simon back to Wednesday, but Nicasio may not be afforded the same opportunity, as the Pirates can throw Francisco Liriano on normal rest. Nicasio is already more than half way to reaching his innings total from last season with the Dodgers (58.1 innings).

Juan Nicasio
RP FA
Wed 5/4/16 4:31 PM

Nicasio (3-3) allowed four runs (one earned) on eight hits while striking out three and walking three in a 6-2 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday afternoon.
EDGE Analysis
An uncustomary error from Andrew McCutchen extended the Cubs third inning, and Ben Zobrist made Nicasio pay, hitting a three-run homer in the next at-bat. All three runs were unearned. Nicasio still has trouble finding the zone at times, but he has allowed just one earned run in his last 11.1 frames. He also has 32 strikeouts in 31.1 innings this season. Nicasio is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday against the Reds.

Juan Nicasio
RP FA
Fri 4/29/16 10:39 PM

Nicasio spun seven shutout innings, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out eight in a 4-1 victory against the Reds on Friday night.
EDGE Analysis
Nicasio (3-2) was clearly on his game throwing 63 of 97 pitches for strikes as he cruised through seven innings. After creating a lot of buzz with an eye-popping spring, he has been somewhat inconsistent in the regular season. It's all about throwing strikes as he has walked nine over eight innings in two sub-par outings while issuing just three free passes over 19 innings in three quality starts.

Juan Nicasio
RP FA
Thu 4/28/16 3:12 PM

Nicasio will start Friday against the Reds.
EDGE Analysis
The Pirates will simply move Nicasio back a day to start the opener of the homestand after Thursday's game was postponed due to rain. It's a nice break for Nicasio's fantasy owners, because instead of a road matchup in Coors Field, Nicasio is now set to face a Reds team that has scored 29 runs on the road this season, fewest in the National League.