Next Outing Decides A Lot for Pirates' Carmen Mlodzinski
In this story:
PITTSBURGH -- Suddenly, the Pittsburgh Pirates have a new number one public enemy. Pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski went from pleasant surprise to suspended for 24 hours. Oh wait, it was a visit to the Restricted List, my apologies.
Now, Mlodzinski is the loyal soldier to the Pirates and will accept his demotion to the bullpen. The team reinstated him and he provided a very sanitized comment through the team's own media channels.
"I wanna do what’s best to help us win baseball games,” he told Pirates reporter Jason Mackey. “Being around these guys, this team, it’s a pretty cool group to be a part of. Of course I want to start and will always want that, but winning games takes precedence.”
Now that this drama has resolved for now, there is only one thing that matters. The Pirates simply need Mlodzinski to continue being the impressive pitcher he began the season being. If he does that, this temporary distraction will be forgotten as quickly as it happened.
What Pirates Need From Mlodzinski
The biggest issue with the Pirates' pitching staff right now is their bullpen. With ace Paul Skenes still dominating despite a pair of abnormal outings, veteran Mitch Keller dealing and Braxton Ashcraft currently posting the lowest earned run average on the staff, the starting rotation has the pieces to carry them through the rest of the season.
The problem is whether or not the bullpen can hold up their end of the bargain. Mlodzinski presents the best possible upgrade to the bullpen, outside of recently recalled Wilber Dotel.
Through nine starts, Mlodzinski had a few nice outings. He struck out 46 batters over 55.0 innings pitched and posted a 3.76 ERA. The Pirates currently have two relievers with more than 20 innings pitched and an ERA below 4.00 (Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery). That means Mlodzinski would come in and be one of the best arms out of the bullpen immediately.
It might not be the option he prefers, but it is what the Pirates need from him moving forward.
Mlodzinski Can Cancel Out the Noise
Frankly, Mlodzinski can put all out of the outside noise to rest with a strong showing out of the bullpen. The Pirates didn't go to him during their series opening victory over the Houston Astros, but with two games left in the series, it's only a matter of time.
That opportunity might come as soon as this upcoming contest. Whenever it happens, Mlodzinski has to be ready. If he takes the mound and records a few quick outs or shows what he can bring to the struggling bullpen, it will change everyone's mind.
Just as suddenly, Mlodzinski would return to being a key member of the Pirates' pitching staff.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Jacob is a featured writer covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for Steelers On SI and the NHL for Breakaway On SI. He also co-hosts the All Steelers Talk podcast. Previous work covering the NHL for Inside the Penguins and The Hockey News.