Carmen Mlodzinski Comes Through in Massive Way for Pirates
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates found themselves in a tough situation in their most recent game, but they thankfully had Carmen Mlodzinski on the mound.
Mlodzinski had an excellent outing out of the bullpen, throwing 3.1 innings out of the bullpen, while allowing just one hit and an unearned run in the 6-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Aug. 29.
It was the best showing from Mlodzinski in a tough month of August, where he hasn't shown the same efficiency and stuff he normally does.
The Pirates needed Mlodzinski in this outing, but they'll also need these types of performances going forward.
Why This Outing Was Big for Mlodzinski
Mlodzinski came in a tough situation for the Pirates, bases-loaded with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, after left-handed relief pitcher Evan Sisk struggled out of the bullpen.
It marked the first time Mlodzinski came in to a game with inherited runners, usually beginning innings on the mound or starting games.
Mlodzinski kept the Pirates tied at 1-1, getting a first-pitch fly out from Cardinals All-Star right fielder Jordan Walker to end the inning.
“I really didn't think too much of it, honestly,” Mlodzinski said to SportsNet Pittsburgh postgame. “Just kind of had the idea just to go and execute the pitches. Really only one pitch, so got out of it relatively quickly. It's definitely been a while since I've thrown in one of those for sure.”
Mlodzinski then allowed just one hit over the next two innings, before running into trouble in the sixth inning, thanks to the Pirates playing terrible defense.
The Pirates committed three straight errors in three at-bats, shortstop Jacob Gonzalez making the first two defensive mistakes and center fielder Oneil Cruz missing a ball he should've caught, which scored a run to cut the lead to 5-2.
Mlodzinski stayed strong and got the final two outs of the inning, with two pop outs to keep the Pirates ahead.
“...Honestly, you bring up the errors, but I think that's just part of the game, and that's going to happen again,” Mlodzinski said. “Just try to pick up your team as best as possible because at the end of the day they're going to make big plays behind you and stuff like that's going to come and go. So I thought overall, it was a fine day.”
Pirates manager Don Kelly praised Mlodzinski for his work and the confidence he displayed on the mound in the great outing.
“We gave way too many outs in that inning, and Carmen just flatlined all the way through it and continued to attack the zone,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said postgame. “Got some huge outs there and kept it at five to two.”
Mlodzinski Hoping to Get Back to Elite Outings
Mlodzinski showed his value for the Pirates in the win over the Cardinals, as a pitcher they can call upon in tight situations and work out of tough jams.
The Pirates originally had Mlodzinski as the starting pitcher for their bullpen game, which replaced starting pitcher Mitch Keller, who suffered a season-ending injury in early August.
Mlodzinski struggled in his three starts, posting a 14.04 ERA, and the Pirates turned to right-handed pitcher Lake Bachar as their new starter for the bullpen game.
He came out for a bulk role vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 23, but gave up five hits and three runs over three innings in the 4-0 loss.
Mlodzinski saw that outing vs. the Dodgers as important, as he challenged hitters and took chances, avoiding walking batters and prolonging innings, which he struggled with earlier in August.
“Yeah, I thought today was better,” Mlodzinski said. “Kind of build off of the outing I had in L.A. Looking back to that outing, it wasn't the cleanest box score, but again, no walks, so I take my chances going after guys in the zone and just making guys beat you with strikes. I thought today kind of built off of that and was pretty solid.”
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.