'Disappointed in myself': Carmen Mlodzinski voices frustration after Sunday's loss to Brewers

MILWAUKEE — Through the first three innings Sunday, Carmen Mlodzinski was cruising. Then in the fourth, he encountered a familiar bit of turbulence.

Navigating lineups a second and third time has proven costly for Mlodzinski, and this was no different. After a 5-0 Pirates loss to the Brewers at American Family Field, one also defined by the offense mustering two hits and striking out 18 times, Mlodzinski expressed displeasure with his inability to overcome a familiar hurdle.

"I'll be honest, I'm sick of answering those questions," Mlodzinski said. “I’ve got to figure out something to not have to answer that question again.

“What does that look like? I think it's gonna be a mix of stuff. Maybe a new pitch, different execution.

"But yeah, I'm over answering that. I expect you guys to keep [asking] until I fix it. It's not a knock on the question. It's a knock on me, for sure."

Mlodzinski faced one over the minimum on 42 pitches through three. His splitter and curveball missed bats and created awkward swings, as Mlodzinski matched Brewers starter Kyle Harrison pitch-for-pitch.

But in the fourth, as the Brewers batted for a second time, something changed.

Catcher William Contreras started things with a 10-pitch at-bat that ended in a single. First baseman Jake Bauers doubled on a four-seamer Mlodzinski left up, the result of a 3-0 count. Designated hitter Gary Sanchez made it a 1-0 game with his grounder to second.

Then third baseman Luis Rengifo lined a sweeper into center to make it 2-0 before shortstop David Hamilton turned on an inside sinker and doubled into the right-center gap.

"Carmen got back in the zone," Pirates manager Don Kelly said. "He got to two strikes at times. But he wasn’t able to completely put them away in those moments."

Brewers left fielder Brandon Lockridge delivered the final blow with his two-run single on a 2-2 splitter Mlodzinski left over the middle of the plate to give Milwaukee a 5-0 lead.

That spelled the end for Mlodzinski, who threw 81 pitches — 42 in the first three innings and 39 in the fourth. The outing raised his ERA to 4.13 on the season. It brought to nine the total of earned runs he’s permitted over his past two starts.

In his first four starts, Mlodzinski allowed just four earned runs.

“I want to sit here and say, 'It's never gonna happen again.’ But it's probably gonna to happen again," Mlodzinski said. "Just disappointed in myself. I put in a lot of work. It didn't work out, and it cost the team the game."

All pitchers see their effectiveness wane the second and third time through an order, but it's been especially pronounced with Mlodzinski.

Prior to Sunday, opponents had a .586 OPS against him the first time through compared to .918 and .970 the second and third time, respectively.

Mlodzinski knows. His inability to solve it cost him a starting job last year. We’ve asked Mlodzinski questions about it all spring, which he referenced. The hope was that a splitter and curveball would do the trick.

But Mlodzinski has to get ahead more than he did in the fourth and do a better job of consistently executing pitches.

"I felt really good for the first three innings and then just spiraled, honestly," Mlodzinski said. "Gave absolutely everything I had to try to get out of that inning and just didn't.

“There was some really well struck balls in that inning, but there was also some weaker contact. Just spiraled on me."

As for the other side, the gritty offense the Pirates relied on Saturday went missing for Sunday’s series finale.

It marked the third time the Pirates were shut out this season, the last coming in a 5-0 loss to the Padres on April 6. The number of strikeouts represented a season-high.

Although the Pirates (16-12) had fared reasonably well against left-handed pitching this season — their .684 OPS was 19th, their 10 home runs off southpaws tied for seventh in MLB — they had no answers against Harrison.

The 24-year-old former Giants prospect had his way with the Pirates, allowing just one hit while striking out 12 over six scoreless innings. Overall, the Pirates mustered just two hits.

"Unique fastball," Kelly said. "From the left side, mid-90s. We weren’t able to make the adjustment and get it down in the zone. He was throwing it by us pretty good."

Meanwhile, Milwaukee used a five-run fifth inning to stop the Pirates from winning three straight for the first time since their five-game winning streak that included Kelly’s team sweeping its first home series of the season.

The Pirates were trying to break out the brooms here for the first time since Aug. 25-28, 2016. Pittsburgh has swept just four times since this building opened in 2001. Its last series win in Milwaukee occurred July 9-11, 2024.

But throwing four-seam fastballs, a slurve and a changeup, Harrison faced little resistance against Pirates hitters and set a career-high in strikeouts.

Not only that, they whiffed 23 times on 59 swings, 13 of those coming against Harrison’s heater. Marcell Ozuna was the only Pirate to get a hit, and he was promptly doubled off in the second. Bryan Reynolds drew a walk in the fourth.

The lack of offense was rare for the Pirates, who began the game seventh in MLB in runs with 135. But a night after the Pirates successfully passed the baton, they couldn’t seem to locate it at all on Sunday in Milwaukee.

Pittsburgh did threaten in the seventh and eighth, getting the first two men on each time. But the Pirates couldn’t get a timely hit, striking out four times and stranding five.

"We had our chances," Kelly said. "Just couldn't get the big hit today."

Around the horn

Mason Montgomery will start for the Pirates on Monday, Kelly said. That will open a bullpen game, where Wilber Dotel will likely pitch in a bulk role.

Quotable

"We have a big series against the Cardinals coming up. The Reds come in after that. Going on the road against Texas and Milwaukee, never really satisfied with 3-3. And the way we played here, against the Brewers, to win a series here, we’ll definitely take that going home. Get back home in front of our fans, looking back to getting back to Pittsburgh and playing some good baseball against division opponents.” — Kelly

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.