PHILADELPHIA – The Pirates entered Spring Training willing to give Carmen Mlodzinski a look as a starting pitcher after two years in the bullpen. Injuries to the rotation this spring -- namely Jared Jones being shut down with a right UCL sprain and Johan Oviedo pausing his rehab after a lat injury -- made his inclusion in the rotation more of a necessity.
Nine starts deep into the starter experiment, the question is becoming whether this is still the right role for him. This was always going to be a learning experience, and at least for now, both Mlodzinski and the Pirates are still learning.
Saturday was a tough lesson. Coming off of his best outing as a starter against the Braves Sunday -- one where he turned in 5 2/3 scoreless frames -- Mlodzinski had the shortest start of the season Saturday, being pulled after 3 1/3 innings of four-run ball, giving the Phillies all the offensive support they needed to beat the Pirates 5-2 at Citizens Bank Park.
Mlodzinski has been limited to roughly two trips through the order for most of the season, and Saturday was the third time in four outings he was pulled after exactly 18 batters. At his best, he’s able to attack hitters, limit walks and deep counts and spin the ball for whiffs. On Saturday, his pitch count quickly ballooned, at-bats became extended and the Phillies’ lefties jumped all over his four-seam fastball, resulting in seven hits and a walk with just two strikeouts.
“I just didn’t pitch to my strengths,” Mlodzinski said. “I think the outings that I’ve struggled this year, I’m pitching more to hitters’ weaknesses. I think that’s where you see me waste pitches. Those are the games I’m not doing well, and the games that I am doing well, I’m pitching to my strengths and doing what has kept me in this league and given me success.”
Mlodzinski has had bright spots in his first look as a Major League starter, but the overall results have been mostly negative. His 5.67 ERA is at least a run and a half higher than the other starters on staff, and while his 4.32 FIP paints a slightly more optimistic outlook, a 5.20 expected ERA (according to Baseball Savant) coming into the day suggests he’s earned that ERA.
After two strong showings out of the bullpen in 2023 and 2024, this was an opportunity for Mlodzinski to show he could be a Major League starter. So far, his outings have suggested he does better in shorter spurts, with most of his damage surrendered coming the second or third time through the order. In nine starts, he’s allowed just one run in the first two innings of games. In the other 21 2/3 frames he’s thrown this year from the third on, he’s allowed 24 earned runs.
“I think he's still learning as he goes,” manager Don Kelly said after acknowledging the team is still learning about Mlodzinski in this role too. “Figuring out when to ramp it up, when to dial it back, and how to get the off-speed in the zone and do it consistently.”
Mlodzinski isn’t hiding from the fact that he is going to have to figure some of this starter stuff out in real time. Today just reinforced that he needs to do what makes him good rather than pitching to the lineup’s weaknesses.
“I’m always willing to make an adjustment and I’m always going to,” Mldozinski said. “It’s probably one of the biggest parts of this game, is you have to make an adjustment. Right now it’s figuring out what do I need to do to have success. And I think I can have good outings, and I can have some poor ones, and right now it’s what is separating those, what’s going on.
“I believe I have the stuff to be able to do it,” Mlodzinski continued shortly after. “It’s just figuring out how to utilize it better.”
There’s also an argument to be made that the Pirates might be better served turning the spot in the rotation to a starter from Triple-A Indianapolis. There are several options to choose from, including Mike Burrows, Braxton Ashcraft, Thomas Harrington and MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 overall prospect, Bubba Chandler.
It doesn’t seem like that change is coming at this time.
“He's had some good outings and he's had some tough ones,” Kelly said of Mlodzinski. “Just continuing to help him grow and learn through this, and down the road, if that's something we talk about, it'll be a bigger conversation than just me.”