North Shore Nine

Justin Lawrence is headed to Minnesota.

The Pirates traded the right-handed reliever to the Twins for cash considerations after designating him for assignment. Lawrence struck out 25 in 22 innings this season with a 5.32 ERA and 1.545 WHIP.

Carmen Mlodzinski will officially rejoin the team in Houston.

Mlodzinski was placed on the restricted list Sunday after he reported to the ballpark stating he was unable to pitch that day.

Carmen Mlodzinski is back off the restricted list and says he’s ready to take on the bullpen role, even if his long-term goal is still to start.

We know Carmen can be a high-leverage bulk option who can cover multiple innings, protect the bullpen, and potentially close out games when needed. It’s not the role he wanted, but for now his message is pretty clear: he wants to help them win.

Via Jason Mackey

https://www.mlb.com/news/pirates-carmen-mlodzinski-now-off-the-restricted-list-ready-to-embrace-new-role

Oneil Cruz has been one of the few real constants in this Pirates lineup.

The swing-and-miss is always going to be part of the conversation, but the production is still there. Cruz is already sitting near the top of the National League in runs, stolen bases, home runs and RBI, while continuing to bring the kind of power/speed combo very few players in baseball can match.

The Pirates have produced offense all year. Cruz has kept giving them that impact.

Oneil Cruz is sitting at 11% on Kalshi to win NL Comeback Player of the Year.

He has 13 home runs and 19 SB as he heads into June.

Braxton Ashcraft sure is looking like an All-Star.

Through 74.2 innings, he owns a 2.77 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 27% strikeout rate, and 2.0 WAR. That puts him top 10 among NL pitchers in ERA, WHIP, K%, and WAR.

What a start to the season.

NS9 Bullpen Breakdown time. Off day today to help reset the pen. Cam Sanders got a call up for a day to pitch an inning and he goes back down. Big story will be if Mlodzinksi decides to be available this week in Houston. We’ll have an updated Bullpen Breakdown tmw.

Rafael Flores Jr. did damage for Indy, going 3-for-4 with a double, triple and 2 RBI. Jared Jones left the yard for Greensboro and drove in three runs. Brian Sanchez had the biggest swing of the bunch with two homers, a double, and 4 RBI for the Grasshoppers. Josh Tate chipped in a 2-for-5 night for Bradenton with a double, stolen base and a run scored.

Carmen Mlodzinski wanting to start is completely understandable. But after being moved back to the bullpen and landing on the restricted list, this is now part of the story attached to him.

📸: .mtl