Carmen

Mlodzinski

He now has as many career wins while allowing three runs as Paul Skenes does. Chandler took over from Carmen Mlodzinski in the third with the Pirates up 4-1. He gave away that lead over his first two innings, but after he got past the next two scoreless, the Pirates broke through again with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Chandler struck out three and walked none while throwing 65 pitches. He gave up homers to Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages. He’ll probably pitch again in relief of Mlodzinski on Sunday.

Mlodzinski was making his first major league start since May. He opened the season in the Pirates rotation, but he was sent to the minors after going 1-4 with a 5.67 ERA in nine turns. Since being brought back, he had a 2.55 ERA and a 34/8 K/BB in 35 1/3 innings out of the pen, earning him another chance. Ultimately, Mlodzinski probably will wind up back in the pen, but he could finish out this season as a starter if the Pirates want. He’ll face the Rockies next weekend if he remains in the rotation.

Mlodzinski has been able to work multiple innings out of the bullpen, so he should be able to handle a few frames before giving way to a pitcher. One of those hurlers could be Andrew Heaney with Heaney being demoted to the bullpen earlier in the week.

It would have been a save if Mike Burrows had gotten two more outs, but Burrows was ineligible for the win after being pulled with a 6-1 lead in the fifth. Mlodzinski has a 3.09 ERA in 11 2/3 innings of relief work since being recalled earlier this month.

The Pittsburgh Gazette’s Noah Hiles reports that Mlodzinski will be used as a bulk reliever, similar to the role Braxton Ashcraft has right now. It’s a role that the 26-year-old has handled well so far in his career. Having both Mlodzinski and Ashcraft pitching multiple innings out of the bullpen means that the Pirates’ starting pitchers may not be pushed as deep into games.

This move was rumored earlier in the day and is official now. Mlodzinski posted a 5.67 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in nine starts for the Pirates this season. He had been a solid reliever for them over the last two seasons, so it will be interesting to see if the Pirates move him back to the bullpen in Triple-A. That’s probably his best long-term fit.

We’re sure Burrows is not the right-handed pitcher that many people wanted the Pirates to call up. Bubba Chandler started in Triple-A on Sunday, which means he would only be on three days’ rest on Thursday. Rather than move everybody in the rotation up one day and bring Chandler up to start on Friday, it seems that the Pirates would rather go with Burrows pitching on normal rest. Burrows has been solid in his own right this season, pitching to a 2.51 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 41:11 K:BB ratio in 32 1/3 innings at Triple-A. Given how Milwaukee has struggled offensively lately, Burrows could be an option as a streamer in deeper formats.

Mlodzinski gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out two. His ERA stands at 5.67 through nine starts, and he’s struck out only 28 in 39 2/3 innings. It’d be time to move him back to the pen even if Bubba Chandler wasn’t banging down the door.

Those waiting for Bubba Chandler to take Mlodzinski’s spot in the rotation may need to wait a bit longer. The 26-year-old still has a 5.20 ERA on the season, but he was good enough on Sunday to take the ERA under 6 for the first time since April 7, with an 18 percent whiff rate and 25 percent CSW on the day. He still should not be added in any fantasy formats, especially with a trip to Citizen’s Bank Park on tap next weekend.

For the second start in a row and the fourth time in five outings, Mlodzinski was unable to work past the fifth inning. The 26-year-old didn’t walk anyone, but still needed 88 pitches — 53 of them strikes — to get his 14 outs. Mlodzinski should be avoided if at all possible when he faces Atlanta on Sunday. That’s more of an indictment on the right-handed hurler than a compliment to the Atlanta offense.