PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates head into their next game at home with an interesting decision for who will take the mound to start out.
The Pirates will have left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery make the start vs. the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on April 15, marking his first start of the season and ninth appearance of the campaign.
Right-handed pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski, who has made three starts for the Pirates this season, will come in after Montgomery and essentially take on a starter’s workload following him, according to Kevin Gorman of the Tribune-Review.
The Pirates didn’t announce their starting pitcher in the series finale vs. the Nationals on April 16, but they could do something similar with right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft, who would make his fourth start of the season or appearance, depending on their decision.
Why the Pirates Will Have Montgomery Start
Montgomery starting is an odd choice, as he’ll likely only go one inning, but it’s a strategic move from the Pirates.
The Nationals employ mostly left-handed batters throughout their lineup, but particularly early on, with right fielder James Wood, first baseman Luis García Jr., shortstop CJ Abrams and left fielder Daylen Lille all at the top of the batting order.
Montgomery coming on for the first inning should help the Pirates get through that early part and then allow Mlodzinski come through for the next time around, not having to face the Nationals’ best hitters.
He’s also been incredibly successful against left-handed batters in 2026, with nine strikeouts and just one hit allowed.
Mlodzinski is a lot less efficient against left-handed hitters, with a .355 batting average allowed and a 1.95 WHIP.
Overlook at Both Pitchers’ Seasons So Far With Pirates
The Pirates landed Montgomery in the big offseason trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, where they also acquired power-hitting second baseman Brandon Lowe and outfielder Jake Mangum.
Montgomery has a high ERA of 6.14 through eight outings and 7.1 innings pitched, with him giving up five earned runs over his first five outings.
He has been better recently, with three straight scoreless outings and six total strikeouts over 2.2 innings or eight outs.
Montgomery had two good showings vs. the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field this past weekend and pitched this most recent game vs. the Nationals, throwing a scoreless seventh inning in the 5-4 loss.
The Pirates gave Mlodzinski another shot at the starting rotation, after he struggled massively in his first time around in 2025.
Mlodzinski has had some issues, with a .298 BAA and a 1.60 WHIP, but he’s kept runners from scoring, posting a 2.51 ERA over 14.1 innings pitched, with 15 strikeouts to six walks.
He is coming off a great start vs. the Cubs in the series opener on April 10, where he threw six scoreless innings in a game the Pirates eventually won 2-0.
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Dominic Campbell
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