BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Pirates' Opening Day starter looked ready for the real deal on Sunday.

Making his second Grapefruit League start, Jameson Taillon struck out six and didn't allow an earned run over five innings in the Bucs' 8-1 win against the Red Sox at LECOM Park. He gave up four singles, didn't walk anybody and recorded eight outs on the ground. The only out hit in the air was a foul popup from Boston leadoff man Jackie Bradley Jr. Taillon also added an RBI single.

"I got my good work in. Everything started feeling like it was coming together," Taillon said. "Last start, I felt a little fresh being out there -- hadn't faced hitters on another team yet. Today, I kind of felt like I settled in a little bit."

It looked that way, too, as Taillon used his entire arsenal to breeze through a Red Sox lineup that included Bradley, star outfielder Mookie Betts and World Series MVP Steve Pearce. After finishing the fifth, Taillon ramped up his workload by pitching an additional inning on a back field.

"I thought Jameson was really, really sharp today," manager Clint Hurdle said. "All his pitches were working."

Sunday was Taillon’s last full start before his Opening Day assignment against the Reds at Great American Ball Park on March 28. He will pitch one more time in Florida, a two- or three-inning tuneup, before the Pirates break camp and play two exhibitions in his hometown of Houston.

"It’s time to start packing up the place and think about getting on the move here. It’s real," Taillon said. "I'm excited for what's to come."

The Pirates delayed Taillon's official Spring Training debut, as they did with all of their established starters, and they had him work through simulated games against his teammates at Pirate City. Taillon said he appreciated that experience, because it gave him a chance to work on various pitches and sequences. So when he started facing other teams, his work was over. He was just ready to pitch.

"I was getting a little itchy there when we were facing hitters over at Pirate City. I felt like everyone was having fun without us over here," he said. "Now that I get to be in there and compete with the guys, it definitely feels like it's real and it's around the corner."

Around the horn

• Center fielder Starling Marte launched a towering three-run homer out of LECOM Park in the sixth inning, reminiscent of the shot he hit into a parking lot on Friday night. Marte has homered in each of his past three games.

"He's swung the bat from a strong position," Hurdle said. "When he's getting on, he's looking for opportunities to run, so he's healthy. He's seeing pitches. He's heading into a good position to start the season."

• Bullpen candidates Francisco Liriano and Brandon Maurer each worked a scoreless inning, and right-hander Nick Burdi threw two innings without allowing a run. Liriano hasn't given up a run in two outings since losing control of the strike zone and walking three in Tampa on March 10. Burdi is tied for the team lead with 12 strikeouts this spring. It was Maurer’s second appearance since returning from a knee injury that kept him off the mound for more than two weeks.

• Left fielder Corey Dickerson joined the Pirates' AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast from left field top of the third inning, chatting with play-by-play man Joe Block and color commentator Bob Walk. Then, in the bottom of the third, Dickerson swatted his second spring homer out to right-center field.

• Bradley robbed Josh Bell of a hit to end the first inning. Bell smoked a line drive to center field, and Bradley initially broke in, then slipped and fell on the grass. Bradley quickly scrambled to his feet and broke back in time to snag the hard-hit liner, earning a long standing ovation as he jogged off the field.

"There’s no chance, and then it's a great catch. That’s crazy," Hurdle said. "He's a very talented player. It's a great play to see in Spring Training."

Up next

The Pirates will head south to Port Charlotte on Monday to play the Rays at 1:05 p.m. ET. Right-hander Nick Kingham, competing for a spot on the Opening Day pitching staff, will get the start against former Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton. Setup men Kyle Crick and Richard Rodriguez and non-roster lefty Tyler Lyons are also scheduled to pitch for Pittsburgh. The game will air exclusively as a webcast on MLB.com.