Gameday 127: Carmen Mlodzinski gets another start as the Pirates face the Tigers

After taking two of three over the weekend against the Boston Red Sox, the Pittsburgh Pirates will begin a three-game series with the Detroit Tigers on Monday.

The Pirates, shockingly, defeated a pair of left-handed pitchers over the weekend, helping lead them to a series victory. They find themselves four games under .500 and 6.5 out of the final Wild Card spot.

They will face the Tigers, who are one game out of the final Wild Card spot in the AL even though they are also four games under .500.

To kick off the series, the Pirates will have to face another lefty, with Framber Valdez the projected starter.

Carmen Mlodzinski will get the start for the Pirates as they will welcome back Oneil Cruz to the active roster, although he won’t be in the starting lineup.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm ET, and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN.

SS - Jared Triolo
RF - Esmerlyn Valdez
LF - Bryan Reynolds
2B - Nick Gonzales
DH - Brandon Lowe
1B - Rafael Flores
CF - Jake Mangum
3B - Nick Yorke
C - Henry Davis

DH - Gleyber Torres
3B - Kevin McGonigle
C - Dillon Dingler
1B - Colt Keith
RF - Zach McKinstry
2B - Hao-Yu Lee
LF - Brett Callahan
CF - Max Clark
SS - Javier Báez

PIT - Carmen Mldozinski (6-5, 3.79 ERA, 99.2 IP, 78 K)

DET - Framber Valdez (7-8, 4.26 ERA, 133 IP, 106 K)

Breaking down MLB Pipeline's Pirates Top 30 update

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Aug 16

With the draft and trade deadline past, MLB Pipeline has updated its Top 30 prospect lists for every organization. This list includes signed picks from the 2026 draft, as well as any prospect added during the trade deadline.

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Bucs on Deck: Pittsburgh Pirates 2026 Midseason Update

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Jun 25

The Pittsburgh Pirates have seen a major shift at the top of their system, having their two best prospects graduate to the majors. That would usually leave most organizations searching for talent, but the Pirates still have one of the top prospects in the game, Seth Hernandez, who tops the Bucs on Deck 2026 midseason update.

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