Pirates ace Paul Skenes sizes up Astros, Spencer Arrighetti

Following a brief stint on the restricted list, Pittsburgh right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski was available out of the bullpen on Tuesday for the opener of a three-game interleague series against the host Houston Astros.

Mlodzinski did not appear in the Pirates’ 10-6 victory, as right-hander Wilber Dotel worked three hitless innings in relief of starter Bubba Chandler. The issue that resulted in Mlodzinski being placed on the restricted list on Sunday — a reluctance to work out of the bullpen, according to reports — has been resolved.

Mlodzinski is 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA in two relief appearances and 2-3 with a 4.30 ERA in nine starts.

“He’s a fierce competitor, and he’s fully committed to the team, to help us win in any way,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “To come out of the pen, it’s going to be huge for us to have him out there doing what he does.”

Staff ace Paul Skenes (6-5, 2.89 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Pirates on Wednesday.

The right-hander allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts across 5 1/3 innings in a 7-2 home loss to the Chicago Cubs last Thursday. That marked the third consecutive losing decision for Skenes, who has a 5.87 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings during that stretch.

Skenes is 0-1 with a 1.29 ERA in two career starts against the Astros. In his most recent appearance against Houston on June 3, 2025, Skenes allowed one run on three hits and one walk with eight strikeouts across eight innings in a 3-0 home loss.

Right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (7-1, 1.34) has the starting assignment for the Astros.

Arrighetti allowed one run on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts across six innings in a 5-1 road win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday. He went 4-1 with a 0.93 ERA in five starts last month. He has allowed one earned run or fewer in seven of eight starts this season, including six in succession.

Arrighetti will make his first career appearance against the Pirates. He is 6-7 with a 3.35 ERA in 15 career interleague starts.

After opening the season as the odd pitcher out in a crowded rotation, Arrighetti has emerged as the staff ace. He began the season with Triple-A Sugar Land and arrived in Houston on April 15 only after a spate of injuries to starters opened the door for his promotion. With ace Hunter Brown (right shoulder strain) on the injured list since April 2, Arrighetti has filled in admirably.

With only 47 innings on his ledger, Arrighetti isn’t yet in a position to qualify for the ERA title. But he is in the mix for AL Pitcher of the Month honors for May, and his performance thus far makes his matchup against Skenes, the 2025 National League Cy Young winner, one worthy of hype.

“I’m excited to watch Spencer go out there and compete and get us the first win of this series,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “He’s been really, really good for us.

“We have one of the hottest guys in the American League on the mound for us. So, it should be good.”

–Field Level Media