3 Pirates pitchers who should get a rotation shot after Carmen Mlodzinski experiment failed

The Pittsburgh Pirates tried Carmen Mlodzinski in the rotation again. At this point, they have seen enough.

Mlodzinski was hit hard in Monday night's 8-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk in just three innings. It was his third appearance since moving out of the bullpen and into a pseudo-starter role, and the results have been disastrous. Mlodzinski now owns a 15.95 ERA in that stretch, allowing 13 earned runs in just 7.1 innings.

There is little reason for Pittsburgh to keep forcing the experiment. With the season slipping away, the Pirates would be better served using those innings to evaluate pitchers who could have a future in the rotation. Here are three options who deserve a look.

3 pitchers who could replace Carmen Mlodzinski in Pirates rotation as reintroduction fails

Lake Bachar

He wouldn't be a traditional, six-inning starter, but Lake Bachar might be the most obvious candidate to join the Pirates' rotation after after what he did Sunday. The right-hander tossed three scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox, giving the Pirates exactly the type of length they need from someone filling a rotation spot.

Pittsburgh acquired Bachar at the trade deadline, and while he has primarily worked out of the bullpen, his ability to cover multiple innings makes him an intriguing option for a traditional start or an opener-plus-bulk setup.

If Pittsburgh is comfortable asking Bachar for three innings already, stretching him out a little further seems like a much more worthwhile experiment than sending Mlodzinski to the mound every fifth day.

Wilber Dotel

Wilber Dotel has already been developed as a starter in Pittsburgh's system. He spent time in the Triple-A Indianapolis rotation before reaching the majors, giving the Pirates a more natural candidate if they want to replace Mlodzinski with someone capable of working deeper into games.

Dotel's stuff has always been intriguing. The question is whether his command and overall consistency are good enough to allow him to stick as a starter at the MLB level. There's only one way to find out.

If Mlodzinski is only going to give them three innings anyway, those innings would be better spent seeing whether Dotel can handle the job.

Antwone Kelly

Antwone Kelly might be the highest-upside option of the group. The 22-year-old right-hander possesses premium velocity and has experience pitching multiple innings. He remains raw, and his minor league results haven't always been pretty, but that's almost beside the point right now.

Kelly's fastball gives him legitimate major league weaponry. If the Pirates believe there is any chance he can develop into a starter, giving him a handful of opportunities now makes considerably more sense than continuing with Mlodzinski.

The Pirates already know what Mlodzinski is capable of in the bullpen. He has had success there, and that may ultimately be where he belongs. What they don't need is another month spent proving that point.

Bachar, Dotel and Kelly all present different levels of risk, but each would give Pittsburgh something Mlodzinski currently isn't: a chance to learn something useful about the future of its rotation.

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