PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates¡¯ fifth starter spot was one of the last jobs up for grabs this Spring Training, with the decision to go with Carmen Mlodzinski over Thomas Harrington not being announced until the last day of the Grapefruit League schedule.
With both right-handers at PNC Park on Monday, and both coming off disappointing first starts in the road series vs. the Rays, the game plan essentially became: Why not try both? Mlodzinski went five innings to start and Harrington covered the back four. Mix in a season-best eight runs on 10 hits from the offense, and it was a recipe for an 8-4 win over the Cardinals.
It wasn¡¯t a planned piggyback, manager Derek Shelton would say afterwards, but it essentially worked as one. The bats heating up on a frigid night certainly played into the calculus of the decision-making, letting Harrington hang in the eighth and ninth instead of going to a high-leverage arm -- which let the rest of the bullpen get the night off.
Harrington¡¯s Major League debut in Tampa last Tuesday did not go as smoothly as hoped. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time a player struggled a bit out of the gate, but he stuck around in the Pirates¡¯ bullpen after the outing rather than return to the Minors.
Monday was still not perfect -- he allowed a pair of homers and three runs over his four innings -- but the sweeper and changeup that helped make him MLB Pipeline's No. 77 overall prospect in baseball played well and missed bats.
"I think the first game, there was a lot of nerves and emotions pitching in that,¡± said Harrington, the Pirates' No. 3 prospect. ¡°This game, I felt much more comfortable out there. I think that was a big step for me, especially attacking guys and getting ahead early."
Most starting pitchers have plans for their first strikeout ball or their first win. But a first save? That¡¯s hardly expected, but Harrington is rolling with it, joking: ¡°It's getting authenticated, that's for sure."
It¡¯s a different road than the one the 2022 first-rounder probably envisioned. Mlodzinski knows about that path. He was moved to the bullpen when he neared the Majors and had strong showings there in 2023 and '24. But Mlodzinski expressed desires to get an opportunity to start again in exit meetings, and the Pirates let him explore it this spring. With Jared Jones and Johan Oviedo on the injured list to start the year, there was an opening, and he was named the fifth starter.
The Pirates have had bullpen troubles early this year, especially among their leverage relievers. It does raise a question of if Mlodzinski could perhaps be better suited in an eighth- or ninth-inning role, which he appeared to be on the path toward a few years ago, but Shelton reiterated pregame that Mlodzinski is a starter at this time.
Count Joey Bart as a fan of that decision. The Pirates¡¯ catcher homered and tripled Monday, and as Mlodzinski pointed out postgame, he was also the first guy at the ballpark. Bart loves diving into the chess match of each game, and Mlodzinski is more than just a pawn in his eyes.
Monday may not have been his first Major League win, but it was his first as a starter, and it¡¯s one that he can learn from.
¡°I think he, obviously, has premium stuff,¡± Bart said. ¡°I think settling in as a starter and learning how to make that transition, he¡¯ll just keep getting better. Right now, I feel like he is settling in a little bit, but he¡¯s not really where he can be, which is fine. He¡¯s got a lot of really good stuff, just battling one inning vs. five to seven innings is a lot different.¡±
Mlodzinski struggled his second time through the order in his first start against the Rays, but with a sharper breaking ball in tow, he navigated the Cardinals¡¯ lineup a second and third time much more effectively, resulting in six strikeouts over five innings of one-run ball. That could be a building block for more starts as he better learns this role at the highest level of competition.
¡°This is something I'm going to look back on and dive into and say, 'What worked today? What didn't work today?'¡± Mlodzinski said. ¡°But ultimately, able to get a win for the team. So there's things to build off of and there's confidence to build on, for sure.¡±