SARASOTA, Fla. -- With just four Spring Training games remaining after Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium, the Pirates have plenty of work to do in a short period of time.
Their lineup is mostly set. There's some intrigue with infield depth. But when looking specifically at the pitching staff, there are important decisions looming -- and it’s hardly a secret.
“They know there are moves that have to be made,” Pirates manager Don Kelly. “It’s really cool to see the way they’ve continued to go about their work and compete on a daily basis. It’s not easy to do when you get down to the end of camp.”
A few players auditioning for jobs took the mound against the Orioles and made what could be their final case for inclusion. That group included Mike Clevinger and Hunter Barco, who seemingly profile as rotation depth and/or relievers capable of pitching multiple innings.
The bullpen deployment was notable for a few reasons.
One, those guys have pitched well this spring, so they’ve remained in the conversation. But Carmen Mlodzinski (2.92 ERA) has pitched better than anyone in that group thanks to a revamped pitch mix that includes a splitter and curveball. He seemingly has the inside track on that fifth spot.
Clevinger and Barco could become swing options, which is why Kelly wanted to see how they performed in bullpen roles.
“Give them a taste of what that role might be like for them coming out of it,” Kelly said. “They’ve handled everything really well. What’s been tough is having the amount of starters that we have.”
Barco's bid
Barco (MLB Pipeline's No. 96 overall prospect) continues to look like someone who’s ready for MLB work thanks to three new pitches he added this offseason. He struggled some with free passes early in Spring Training but didn’t let that issue linger, walking just one over his last five frames.
Against the Orioles, Barco delivered a pair of scoreless innings and struck out three, pitching backwards by using secondary stuff to complement his four-seam fastball. In four Grapefruit League appearances, Barco has a 2.89 ERA while striking out 12 in 9 1/3 innings.
"Really worked hard, and I feel like I put myself in a good position," Barco said. "Had one bad game against the Tigers. Other than that, I felt like I was dominant the whole time.”
The advantage Barco would give the Pirates is a lefty who can work multiple innings. He’s a starter, so they’d have to keep him relatively stretched out. But it would allow Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto to be more matchup-based and available in shorter spurts.
"Whatever I need to do," Barco said. "Whatever I can do to help the team win.”
Clevinger’s case
A consistent theme with Clevinger has been his increased velocity, how he’s felt better than he has in years due to actually having an offseason and full health. The right-hander’s fastball really popped during the third and fourth innings, averaging 95.9 mph.
That’s 2.4 mph better than Clevinger averaged this past season, and he topped out at 97 mph.
The Pirates must make a decision soon on whether to give Clevinger a roster spot or allow him to pursue an opportunity with another team. Though he allowed a home run on a mistake pitch, Clevinger also ended his outing on a high note by striking out four of the final five hitters he faced.
“[The velocity] has always been there,” Clevinger said. “Just a matter of me having the body put together”
Clevinger has pitched to a 5.02 ERA in five games (two starts) this spring. That number is also a bit misleading due to the four earned runs he allowed in three innings against the Red Sox on March 8.
Similar to Barco, Clevinger had to adjust his routine to fit the bullpen assignment. No more 400-foot long toss that he’d do on start days, plus lighter catch, limited warmup tosses and fewer weighted-ball drills. But Clevinger is also willing to do whatever it takes to help the team.
“I just want to be out there,” Clevinger said. “I still think that we have a special group here. It's been fun. It's been really exciting leading up to this first game in New York, so to be part of it is what I want.”
How it happened
Three early home runs gave the Orioles a 5-0 lead after three innings, two off the bat of catcher Samuel Basallo.
Facing Cam Sanders, Basallo turned on an elevated four-seamer and blasted it over the fence in right-center for a solo shot. First baseman Jhonkensky Noel followed an inning later by hammering a 1-2 sinker from Gregory Soto that caught too much of the plate for a two-run shot.
Clevinger threw a first-pitch changeup to Basallo. He hit in on a line at 110.6 mph for another two-run blast.
“That one just flatted out,” Clevinger said. “It was right in his wheelhouse, almost like a bad fastball. It’s just learning the usage of that pitch.
“I’ve worked a lot on it this offseason to get depth. The swing and miss rate on that pitch this spring has been phenomenal, especially compared to the past in my career.”
The Pirates got two runs back in the top of the fifth thanks to a Ryan O’Hearn groundout and Bryan Reynolds’ line-drive single to center. That also came on a first-pitch changeup.
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.