Jun. 8—Carmen Mlodzinski threw five innings Wednesday evening, allowing a pair of earned runs on four hits and two walks. His effort was enough to help his team win. The only problem was that Mlodzinski’s skills are currently helping Triple-A Indianapolis, rather than the Pirates.

After struggling to find consistent success as a major league starter this season, the Pirates optioned Mlodzinski to Triple-A last month. Many wondered why the right-hander was optioned, rather than simply being pushed back to the big-league bullpen, a place where he has produced better results. This, however, is a situation Mlodzinski signed up for.

A former first-round pick, the Pirates moved Mlodzinski to the bullpen during his minor league development, a decision he never completely agreed with, per sources. He debuted as a reliever in 2023 and followed a strong rookie campaign with an equally productive showing in 2024. Yet, despite having an established role on the major league team, Mlodzinski wanted something different.

“I was a starter for most of my minor league career,” Mlodzinski told the Post-Gazette in June of last season. “That’s my career goal, to be in the starting rotation again one day.”

Year after year, Mlodzinski voiced his desire to be a starter. Per multiple sources, those conversations became more pointed at the end of last season. Heading into the offseason, the Pirates finally decided to grant Mlodzinski’s wish. He would be treated as a starter, and only a starter, in 2025.

Injuries to both Jared Jones and Johan Oviedo created space for Mlodzinski to make the Pirates’ opening day roster as a starting pitcher. But as the regular season progressed, it became clear that he was the weak link of the club’s rotation. The Pirates optioned Mlodzinski to Triple-A Indianapolis on May 21. Per team sources, Mlodzinski was not provided the choice to return back to the bullpen.

“The conversation we had with him when we optioned him was that he’s going down to start,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said the day after Mlodzinski was optioned. ” … Right now, that will be the focus. That will be the role.

” … Down the road, you know, there’s always scenarios where we might ask anybody to do something different to help us win. But we want to exhaust the starting possibility if we can.”

Now, as Mlodzinski continues to “exhaust the starting possibility” in the minor leagues, others are flourishing in his place.

Not long after Mlodzinski was sent to Triple-A, the Pirates recalled right-hander Braxton Ashcraft. A 25-year-old right-hander, Ashcraft has been a starter since the Pirates selected him in the second round of the 2018 draft. But with no spots available in the rotation, he was instead promoted to pitch out of the bullpen.

“There were conversations me and Ben regularly had in spring training,” Ashcraft told reporters the day of his big-league debut. “The conversation was that it doesn’t really matter. I want to be here, I want to contribute, I want to be in the big leagues and pitch here. This is our goal. This is why we play the game.

“I think that as a starter coming up, you always have that in the back of your mind, that’s what you want your career to be. But it’s being in the big leagues. Being in environments like this, being around the guys and playing for a World Series and not Triple-A championships. That’s not in the forefront of my mind. It’s competing for the World Series and doing it with the team in Pittsburgh. However I can contribute to the team and do that, I’m all for it.”

So far, Ashcraft has been stellar. He threw three scoreless innings of relief in his debut on May 26. That effort was followed by a scoreless eighth inning against the Padres on June 1, and then a pair of run-free frames in Wednesday’s shutout win over the Astros.

“The slider has been elite,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said of Ashcraft. “Then to back it up with the seventh- and eighth-inning leverage, the mindset to be able to go out there and do that, throw strikes and compete in the zone with that slider, I think he’s done a fantastic job.”

While Kelly was quick to note Ashcraft’s slider, the best pitch in his arsenal, the Pirates’ skipper continued on saying that Ashcraft’s mentality provides additional value.

“That’s what we’re looking for,” Kelly said. “Someone who’s willing to go out there and do what it takes to help the team win.”

Ashcraft’s bullpen role isn’t permanent. Per Kelly, he will still have an opportunity to start games. But until that time comes, Ashcraft will continue to work as a reliever, where he looks to be an asset to the major league club. Mlodzinski, meanwhile, will remain in Triple-A, battling the likes of Bubba Chandler, Thomas Harrington and Hunter Barco to be next in line whenever a spot opens in the rotation.

Three up

* IKF is A-OK: Isiah Kiner-Falefa entered the weekend hitting safely in 15 of his last 17 games. The Pirates’ shortstop hit .356 over that stretch, which was tied for 11th-best in the National League.

* Tying Roberto: Andrew McCutchen tied Roberto Clemente for third on the Pirates’ all-time home runs list with a two-run shot against the Padres on Sunday. McCutchen entered the weekend two hits shy of 2,200 in his career, a milestone that only 189 MLB players had reached.

* Oneil is Cruzin’: Oneil Cruz entered the weekend with an MLB-leading 22 stolen bases, matching his season total from last year, which is also his career best.

Three down

* Bad stretch Borucki: Veteran left-handed reliever Ryan Borucki has struggled as of late, entering the weekend having allowed a run in each of his last four outings.

* Ice cold Cutch: Similar to what we’ve seen before, McCutchen has gone cold while on the precipice of another milestone, entering the weekend hitless in his last 13 at-bats.

* Bailey Faltered: While dominant throughout May, Bailey Falter struggled in his first start in June, allowing four runs, all earned, on five hits and two walks over 3 2/3 innings against the Phillies, his former team, Friday evening.

On deck

* Fishing for payback: The Pirates will look for redemption in their upcoming series against the Marlins, a club that beat them in three of their first four games of this season.

* Stowers stands out: Kyle Stowers, the player responsible for the Marlins’ walk-off win over the Pirates on opening day, has led the charge for the club this year, entering the weekend with 10 home runs and an .836 OPS.

* Fly the W: After concluding a nine-game homestand against the Marlins, the Pirates will hit the road to Chicago to take on the first-place Cubs, who entered the weekend with a National League-best .629 winning percentage.

Bottom of the ninth

They say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but it’s hard to not feel as though that’s not the current reality whenever the Phillies arrive in town. Philadelphia’s ownership group has truly invested in its product, boasting a payroll nearly $200 million higher than the Pirates, per FanGraphs. That big money has allowed stars such as Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Zack Wheeler to make the club a regular contender in October. Phillies fans might be loud, but they have plenty to celebrate. Their franchise is truly committed to winning a championship, a foreign concept for the baseball club —along with the other two professional teams — on this side of the state.

Numerology

.100 — The Pirates’ winning percentage entering the weekend in the 30 games where the opposition scored first. That, however, didn’t matter in Friday’s win against the Phillies.

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