Three observations: Mlodzinski's splitter does the job
Three observations from the Pirates' 16-7 win over the Red Sox here today at JetBlue Park:
• At this point in time, CarmenMlodzinski sees his splitter as being the most important pitch in his arsenal. Not only does it create space for him to find more success with his fastball, but it's a pitch he's finding more trust in, especially late in counts. He showed that today when locked into 3-2 counts, as he turned to the splitter to finish off strikeouts of Jarren Duran and Willson Contreras. Mlodzinski turned to it seven times in this one and was around the zone with it rather consistently in his two scoreless innings. The more trust he has in his overall repertoire, the more prepared he'll be to either start or pitch out of the bullpen in 2026.
• NickYorke isn't at all guaranteed an opportunity to break camp with the big-league club. It's not an impossible goal for him to achieve, though. Yorke provides the versatility needed out of a player expected to be relied upon as a bench piece, and he has hit some in the big leagues. Today, he matched NickGonzales in leading the team with three hits. One of those was a sixth-inning triple. If Yorke can show an ability to hit consistently and play sufficient defense when given the opportunity, he could be a candidate for a bench spot at the end of this thing.
• Jhostynxon Garcia's arm is legit. He showed it off in throwing WilyerAbreu out at second base with a one-hopper in the fifth inning. Just rifled it. It was impressive. He also added two more hits here. Results are what they are during spring training, but Garcia is in the category of guys who need to display consistency with mechanics and swing decisions, while also providing some productivity to go along with it.
THE ASYLUM
Three observations: Mlodzinski's splitter does the job
Three observations from the Pirates' 16-7 win over the Red Sox here today at JetBlue Park:
• At this point in time, Carmen Mlodzinski sees his splitter as being the most important pitch in his arsenal. Not only does it create space for him to find more success with his fastball, but it's a pitch he's finding more trust in, especially late in counts. He showed that today when locked into 3-2 counts, as he turned to the splitter to finish off strikeouts of Jarren Duran and Willson Contreras. Mlodzinski turned to it seven times in this one and was around the zone with it rather consistently in his two scoreless innings. The more trust he has in his overall repertoire, the more prepared he'll be to either start or pitch out of the bullpen in 2026.
• Nick Yorke isn't at all guaranteed an opportunity to break camp with the big-league club. It's not an impossible goal for him to achieve, though. Yorke provides the versatility needed out of a player expected to be relied upon as a bench piece, and he has hit some in the big leagues. Today, he matched Nick Gonzales in leading the team with three hits. One of those was a sixth-inning triple. If Yorke can show an ability to hit consistently and play sufficient defense when given the opportunity, he could be a candidate for a bench spot at the end of this thing.
• Jhostynxon Garcia's arm is legit. He showed it off in throwing Wilyer Abreu out at second base with a one-hopper in the fifth inning. Just rifled it. It was impressive. He also added two more hits here. Results are what they are during spring training, but Garcia is in the category of guys who need to display consistency with mechanics and swing decisions, while also providing some productivity to go along with it.
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