PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It really could have hurt the Pirates on Sunday. Carmen Mlodzinski’s emotions making him unavailable Sunday might have impacted a game. He’s known since Wednesday and enough is enough. What the Pirates manager is saying about the right-handed pitcher.
Let’s start with what we learned from GM Ben Cherington earlier in the day in that Mlodzinski said he didn’t feel ready to pitch Sunday. Another way of saying it is that he refused to be available to pitch on Sunday.
Given the team had used five relievers on Saturday and three on Friday, if Braxton Ashcraft hadn’t been as dominant and the offense hadn’t given a big cushion, his lack of availability might have cost his team a game. It didn’t, but you could feel that after they put him on the restricted list, management has had about enough with Mlodzinski’s feelings.
It’s not that they aren’t saying the right things.
“Carmen is an elite competitor,” manager Don Kelly said postgame. “Carmen is going to pitch big innings for us and he’s committed to helping this team win, beyond that, we will see him soon.”
When is unknown, but seeing relief pitcher Cam Sanders sent down the same day he was recalled is a good sign. The Pirates have a day off in Houston and we’ve learned the 27-year-old will be on the flight.
Again, it could have, but didn’t impact the team. Kelly said it hasn’t negatively affected his teammates or their general opinions about Mlodzinski. At least not yet.
“I think the guys know exactly what I said, that Carmen is a competitor,” Kelly said. “That he is going to be here to help the team win and he’s shown that over the course of his career and I’m fully confident that he’s going to do that going forward as well.”
Kelly said they’ve been in communication the last few days and maybe the restricted list is all Mlodzinski needed to know it’s time to move on from his personal disappointment and know there is a potentially critical role for him to fill in the bullpen. And still the potential to start as the season progresses.
What we can read into this situation is a few questions after being asked about Mlodzinski, Kelly was asked about Braxton Ashcraft, a starter who bounced around from the bullpen last year to starting and is coming off a 4-0 May with a 1.99 ERA.
“Coming up, being in the bullpen, going into a bulk role, filling different roles, did it with a mindset and an attitude that was all about the team and given an opportunity to start, he’s carried that mindset and attitude with him and continued to run with it,” Kelly said.
Mlodzinski was pitching well as a starter. The team was 8-3 in games he started Jared Jones was established in the rotation before injury forced him out. Now that he’s healthy, he’s back and something had to give. The logical move was Mlodzinski in the bullpen.
Previously, Mlodzinski has done whatever the team needed and it gave him the opportunity to start this year. It’s time for Carmen to get over this move and be a pro.
Disappointment understandable, but time to move on
Disappointment understandable, but time to move on
