Taillon thrilled to visit Minute Maid Park 

HOUSTON -- The Pirates will play three Interleague games in Houston nearly three months from now, but it probably won't take Jameson Taillon that long to start checking the schedule to gauge his chances of pitching during that series.

Taillon was raised in The Woodlands, a suburb north of Houston, and was an Astros fan from the beginning. He has warm, vivid memories of attending Astros games at Minute Maid Park as a wee lad in the early 2000s, and he credits those teams with inspiring him to want to play baseball.

"I reenacted their batting stances as a kid, I’d write down the lineup for that night," Taillon recalled. "I was pretty die-hard."

The fandom continued into his teens. Like most high schoolers on a budget, he and his buddies bought tickets for the cheap seats, near the top of the ballpark.

These days, Taillon has a slightly better vantage point at Minute Maid Park, from the visitor's dugout on the third-base side. As the Pirates' Opening Day starter, Taillon won't pitch in the current two-game exhibition series with the Astros, but that's OK with him. Just being here is enough.

"I threw a bullpen today, and even that was cool for me," he said. "Playing catch in the outfield, I remember being a kid and watching guys warm up in the outfield. It kind of puts everything in perspective."

The next time the Bucs roll through town is of greater interest to the 27-year-old righty. The Pirates will be in Houston June 25-27, and Taillon's eyes lit up at the idea of starting one of those games.

But he's not checking the schedule just yet.

"Let's make it through the snow in early April [in Pittsburgh] and I'll probably start counting it up," he said. "See what kind of off-days we have, where I'll jump around the rotation. There’s a 60 percent chance I'll pitch."

Decisions looming

The Pirates still have to trim their roster by several players between now and Thursday, but they left Minute Maid Park after Monday's 12-9 loss to the Astros without making any roster moves.

One of the decisions they'll have to make soon is regarding the fifth starter job. Manager Clint Hurdle said they'll "pull the trigger on that sooner than later, and everybody will know."

Jordan Lyles appears to have an inside track for that final rotation spot, though Nick Kingham and Steven Brault are still in the mix, as well.

If Lyles does win the job, the Pirates will then have to decide who to bump to the bullpen. Kingham may have the advantage because he does not have options remaining on his contract, and cannot be sent to the Minor Leagues without exposure to waivers. Brault has options remaining on his contract.

Chisenhall plunked

Outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall exited Monday’s game in the sixth inning, after he was plunked on his right hand by a pitch from Astros lefty reliever Framber Valdez. Chisenhall was replaced by Bryan Reynolds to run at first base.

Per a team spokesman, Chisenhall is currently being examined and treated by the medical staff. Further updates will be provided as they are made available.

Notables:

• Infielder José Osuna’s chances to make the Opening Day roster diminished on Monday with the news that he did not make the trip to Houston due to lower neck discomfort. Osuna will return to Pittsburgh this week for further examination.

• Joe Musgrove, who is slated to make his regular season debut on Sunday (March 31) in Cincinnati, threw 80 pitches over six innings -- and an extra 15 pitches in the bullpen -- in a Minor League outing in Florida on Monday. Chris Archer, who will start April 1 in the home opener against the Cardinals, will start in a Minor League game Tuesday.

• Monday's exhibition game in Houston marked Starling Marte's first appearance since he was sidelined with lower back tightness on March 19. Marte was 1-for-3, doubling in his first at-bat.

Up next

The Pirates will wrap up their Spring Training, and their two-game exhibition set with the Astros, on Tuesday at 2:10 ET at Minute Maid Park. Right-handed reliever Brandon Maurer gets the start for the Bucs, who will then travel to Cincinnati in advance of Opening Day on Thursday. The Astros will start prospect J.B. Bukauskas.