The Pittsburgh Pirates made a late change to their pitching plan for Wednesday’s series finale against the Colorado Rockies and will start Mason Montgomery instead of Carmen Mlodzinski. Pittsburgh is expected to use Montgomery for one inning before turning the game over to Mlodzinski as a bulk reliever for five-to-six innings.

The switch gives the Pirates a look they have already used once this season, and it comes with Chase Dollander on the other side for Colorado. Pittsburgh used the same tandem against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on April 15, when Montgomery worked a scoreless first inning and Mlodzinski followed with six scoreless innings in a 2-0 win.

That earlier game showed why the club may be leaning on the pairing again. Mlodzinski allowed just two hits, one walk and one hit batter that day, but the matchup numbers also help explain the choice. Against left-handed batters, Mlodzinski has allowed a.333 batting average and carries a 1.74 WHIP, while Montgomery has limited left-handed hitters to a.143 batting average with a 1.17 WHIP and 10 strikeouts.

The Pirates originally had Mlodzinski listed as the probable starter for May 14, but the change leaves Montgomery to begin the game before Mlodzinski takes over. It is a continuation of a strategy Pittsburgh has already tried and one that seems built around the way each pitcher has handled left-handed hitters, rather than a simple one-for-one rotation decision.

What happens next is straightforward: Montgomery is expected to open, Mlodzinski is expected to cover the bulk of the innings, and the Pirates will see whether the formula that worked against Washington can hold up again against Colorado.