Pirates Carmen Mlodzinski shines out of the pen against the Nats
Pirates Carmen Mlodzinski shines out of the pen against the Nats originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Pittsburgh Pirates decided to go with an opener in their 2-0 win over the Washington Nationals , which proved effective. The Pirates handed the Nationals their first shutout loss of the season.
Manager Don Kelly used left-hander Mason Montgomery to open the game and right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski as the bulk guy. Mlodzinski seemed to enjoy his role for the Pirates as he earned his first win of the season.
Pittsburgh Pirates Carmen Mlodzinski feels he was in a better “pocket” pitching as the opener
"I think the reason was just to give me a better pocket, and let Mason kinda dominate lefties like he's done this year,” Mlodzinski said to SportsNet Pittsburgh . “I felt good. I worked pretty hard this week on fastball command. I think I've kind of struggled with that for the last few weeks. So worked on that, and then in my head, everything kind of plays off of that. Like, I know we use the splitter a lot tonight. I honestly say I didn't throw one splitter in between, or maybe a few in between these starts or outings, it was all fastball command.”
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Mlodzinski, 27, has been great for the Pirates this season. In four starts, Mlodzinski is 1-0 with a 1.77 ERA and has 20 strikeouts.
Working out of the bullpen is nothing new for Mlodzinski, as he has been primarily a reliever since joining the Pirates. Of his 113 appearances in the big leagues, 20 have come as a starting pitcher.
A former first-round pick (31st overall) in 2020, Mlodzinski has proven to be an effective arm for the Pirares. The South Carolinian is 14-16 with a 3.10 ERA lifetime.
Showing manager Don Kelly his versatility, Mlodzinski could find his role as the Pirates' bulk guy become more frequent.
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