The Pirates will roll with Carmen Mlodzinski as their fifth starter to begin the season, per Don Kelly, who confirmed Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Mlodzinski will start the three games in their season-opening series against the Mets. Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler will start the first two games of the Cincinnati series.

Mlodzinski has started three of the four games he's appeared in this spring, allowing five runs (four earned) on 15 hits over 12 1/3 innings. He struck out 14 batters and walked two. Mlodzinski began last season as a starter, but it didn't go particularly well, as he compiled a 4.99 ERA and 1.52 WHIP over 12 starts. He fared better, as he has throughout his major-league career, out of the bullpen. In his 22 relief appearances, he had a 2.15 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP, 53 strikeouts and 11 walks over 50 1/3 innings. 

"Looking at last year, started in the rotation, went down and then came back up in the 'pen and then started to get some starts and continued to get better," Kelly said. "I think that the split was a big equalizer for him, the command of the fastball, being able to move that around, and utilize the split to keep specifically left-handers off-balance. He's done a really nice job at that. He's always going to compete. He's probably one of the fiercest competitors that we have in there." 

While guys like Hunter Barco, José Urquidy and non-roster invitee Mike Clevinger, won't be in the rotation to begin the season, they remain in camp and are still in competition for roles in the bullpen.