Carmen

Mlodzinski

Mlodzinski gave up eight hits, walked one and struck out three. The 27-year-old right-hander was pretty good as a starting pitcher earlier this season, but in this most recent stint in the rotation he’s allowed 13 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings over three starts (14.44 ERA). Mlodzinski has thrown 63, 59 and 59 pitches in those starts, making it hard to see him working deep into games until the Pirates allow for a higher pitch count. Mlodzinski is lined up to face the Dodgers on the road on Sunday.

Moving Mlodzinski back into the rotation has not gone well so far. The Marlins were on him from the start with two hard-hit balls to begin the game and of the 11 total balls they put in play, eight were hit harder than 95 mph. He also hasn’t thrown more than three innings since June 10th. There’s no league where he should be a factor at the moment.

On one hand, Mlodzinski pitched poorly in this outing. On the other, the weather did him few favors. There was a one hour rain delay early on in this game and after he came back to the mound after it, the Mets rallied and Mlodzinski wound up giving up four runs in the third inning. Working in more of a swing-man role lately, he wasn’t built up enough to get over the hump and improve upon this outing. He hasn’t thrown more than three innings in an outing since June 10th and hadn’t started a game since May 25th. Alas, he’s scheduled to face the Marlins next timeout.

Mlodzinski was called upon after six strong innings from Braxton Ashcraft and needed just 39 pitches (30 strikes) to record the final nine outs. It certainly helped that he entered the contest with a four-run advantage that eventually ballooned to 10 runs by the final frame.

Imaging came back clean for Jones after he left Sunday’s game when he was hit in the elbow by a line drive in the fifth inning, and Kelly called the results for Jones “encouraging.” Whether the right-hander can make that start will likely be determined by how Jones feels in the coming days, but for now, it does appear he’s avoided a significant injury. If he can’t go Carmen Mlodzinski could get the nod.

Jones was hit on the back of his pitching elbow by a liner and forced from his start Sunday against the Rockies. Assuming there isn’t too much bruising and swelling, he might be spared another IL stint. The Pirates could have Carmen Mlodzinski start next time through if Jones does miss some time.

Mlodzinski came on with the Pirates leading 5-0 in the sixth inning. He served up a leadoff homer to Isaac Paredes, then went on to shut the Astros out on three hits the rest of the way while punching out three. The 27-year-old right-hander has said the right things since returning from his brief stay on the restricted list, but unless he finds his way back into the rotation it ultimately feels like he could be on the move before the trade deadline.

Mlodzinski will rejoin the Pirates for Tuesday’s series opener against the Astros following a one-game stint on the restricted list. The 27-year-old has expressed a willingness to pitch in relief after being removed from Pittsburgh’s rotation last week. “I want to do what’s best to help us win baseball games,” Mlodzinski told MLB.com on Monday. He also added that he never requested a trade. There doesn’t appear to be any sort of controversy here.

Wow. Mlodzinski voiced his displeasure about being bumped from the Pirates’ rotation to make room for the return of Jared Jones on Friday. Now it appears that the two sides are at an impasse. Expect the trade chatter around Mlodzinski to pick up over the coming days.

Carmen Mlodzinski will be demoted to the bullpen. Jones has a 2.89 ERA in five rehab starts throughout the minor leagues, striking out 24 in 18 2/3 innings in coming back from internal brace surgery on his elbow ligament. He draws a tasty assignment against a struggling Twins lineup, but isn’t a must-start in his first game back as he’s only gotten up to 76 pitches so far and there’s no guarantee he’ll go long enough to qualify for a win. Either way, he should be rostered in most leagues based on the potential he showed last season before the elbow injury.