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The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped their rubber match against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday afternoon, 10-5.
The offense bounced back in a nice way after Tuesday night’s shutout, but it unfortunately wasn’t enough
One of the biggest storylines to come out of this game was Mitch Keller’s rough outings. He struck out four batters and issued two walks, but allowed three earned runs in just 3.0 innings, Keller’s shortest outing of the season.
After the game, Keller said this start simply came down to his pitch count and how many pitches he threw in a short span. Pittsburgh’s starter had thrown 72 pitches when Don Kelly turned the game over to the bullpen.
“They just fouled off a lot of pitches two at-bats in a row, so just kind of drove the pitch count up,” explained Keller. “I gave up a couple of hits and then obviously the home run. Yeah, just wasn’t good.”
This starts from Keller, unfortunately, and continues a recent trend for the Pirates pitcher. Keller allowed eight hits and five earned runs in his last outing and posted a 6.23 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in June.
Jun 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller (23) delivers a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Keller has been a stable presence in Pittsburgh’s rotation over the last few years, but he’s really searching for some consistency right now.
Luckily, the All-Star break is on the horizon, and Keller is looking forward to taking some time to reset, focus on one or two things, and come out strong to finish the season.
“Definitely some rest, obviously. I think everybody can benefit from that midway through [the season],” Keller said.
“Just being able to get some more detailed work in with the longer break… I think it'd be a good time just to be able to really hone in on some mechanical things and just some pitching things too that I can get better at for the seocnd half.”
Keller believes he’s just “off a little bit.” Hopefully, that means that with one or two minor adjustments, the 30-year-old can bounce back after the All-Star break.
The Pirates aren’t officially out of the playoff hunt yet, but they’ll need Keller to be pitching at his A-game to get back to the postseason for the first time in over a decade.
Pirates Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Pirates. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
Continue reading...
The offense bounced back in a nice way after Tuesday night’s shutout, but it unfortunately wasn’t enough
One of the biggest storylines to come out of this game was Mitch Keller’s rough outings. He struck out four batters and issued two walks, but allowed three earned runs in just 3.0 innings, Keller’s shortest outing of the season.
After the game, Keller said this start simply came down to his pitch count and how many pitches he threw in a short span. Pittsburgh’s starter had thrown 72 pitches when Don Kelly turned the game over to the bullpen.
“They just fouled off a lot of pitches two at-bats in a row, so just kind of drove the pitch count up,” explained Keller. “I gave up a couple of hits and then obviously the home run. Yeah, just wasn’t good.”
This starts from Keller, unfortunately, and continues a recent trend for the Pirates pitcher. Keller allowed eight hits and five earned runs in his last outing and posted a 6.23 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in June.
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Jun 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller (23) delivers a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Keller has been a stable presence in Pittsburgh’s rotation over the last few years, but he’s really searching for some consistency right now.
Luckily, the All-Star break is on the horizon, and Keller is looking forward to taking some time to reset, focus on one or two things, and come out strong to finish the season.
“Definitely some rest, obviously. I think everybody can benefit from that midway through [the season],” Keller said.
“Just being able to get some more detailed work in with the longer break… I think it'd be a good time just to be able to really hone in on some mechanical things and just some pitching things too that I can get better at for the seocnd half.”
Keller believes he’s just “off a little bit.” Hopefully, that means that with one or two minor adjustments, the 30-year-old can bounce back after the All-Star break.
The Pirates aren’t officially out of the playoff hunt yet, but they’ll need Keller to be pitching at his A-game to get back to the postseason for the first time in over a decade.
Pirates Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Pirates. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
Continue reading...
