Keller allowed one earned run on three hits and no walks while striking out seven across 4.2 innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.
Keller has done a good job of limiting runs for much of spring training, though he showcased strikeout upside with his performance Saturday. Through 329.1 career innings in the majors, Keller has a 21.1 percent strikeout rate, so it's worth keeping a spring training performance in context. However, he closed the 2022 campaign in strong form and will be given every opportunity to lead Pittsburgh's rotation in 2023.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Draws Opening Day assignment
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The Pirates named Keller their starting pitcher for their Opening Day game March 30 in Cincinnati, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Keller will be rewarded with the Opening Day nod after he overcame a rough start to the 2022 campaign to sharpen his command and control from about mid-May onward, finishing the season with a 3.22 ERA over his final 120.1 innings. He's carried over that success through his first four appearances of the Grapefruit League slate (4.09 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 13:1 K:BB in 11 innings) while also incorporating a new slider/cutter hybrid into his repertoire. Wins will likely still be hard to come by for Keller while he's pitching for a Pirates squad that remains in rebuilding mode, but the right-hander could prove to be a solid contributor in the ratio categories during his fifth season in the majors.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Adds to repertoire
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Keller allowed one hit and no walks while striking out two across two scoreless innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.
Keller performed well in his spring debut while facing a mix of Toronto's regulars and reserves. Per Justice delos Santos of MLB.com, Keller also debuted a new pitch that is a cross between a slider and cutter. Keller took a step forward in 2022, posting a 3.91 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, and he will be relied upon by the Pirates as a key part of their rotation throughout the upcoming campaign.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Will start Grapefruit League opener
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Keller will start the Pirates' Grapefruit League opener Saturday against the Blue Jays, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Keller also figures to get the nod for Pittsburgh on Opening Day of the regular season. The 26-year-old right-hander experienced a lot of ups and downs during the 2022 campaign but ultimately delivered an overall 3.91 ERA with 138 strikeouts in 159 innings. He had a shiny 2.20 ERA in his final 41 frames.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Avoids arbitration
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Keller signed a one-year, $2.44 million contract with Pittsburgh on Friday to avoid arbitration, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
After beginning the 2022 season with a 6.05 ERA through his first nine starts despite offseason velocity gains, Keller flipped a switch and finished with a 3.22 ERA over his final 22 outings. There's not much to speak of in terms of exceptional strikeout stuff or limiting walks, but if Keller can keep the ball on the ground and runners off the pillows, there's room for the 26-year-old to become a bright spot in the Pirates' rotation.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Yields two runs
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Keller allowed two runs on six hits and two walks over five innings against the Cardinals on Monday. He struck out five and did not factor in the decision.
Keller fired five shutout frames before coughing up a two-run homer to Albert Pujols in the sixth. The 26-year-old righty finally showed promise at the big league level in 2022 after struggling in his first three MLB seasons. Keller finished the season with a 3.91 ERA and a 138:60 K:BB through 159 frames. After posting a 6.61 ERA through his first seven appearances, he recorded a 3.21 ERA over his next 126.1 innings. Keller's impressive summer likely secured his spot in Pittsburgh's rotation for 2023.
Keller allowed a run on five hits, three walks and two hit batsmen while striking out five in five innings in a 4-1 win Tuesday against Cincinnati. He did not factor into the decision.
Keller was a bit wild in Tuesday's start, hitting two batters and throwing a wild pitch that scored the only run against him. Twice he was able to get out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam. In five September starts, he has a 1.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 26:12 K:BB in 30 innings. His final start of the season will likely come early next week against St. Louis.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Performs well in loss
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Keller (5-12) took the loss Thursday against the Cubs, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven in six innings.
Both runs against Keller came in the second inning on Christopher Morel's two-run double. Keller then retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced. It was his fifth straight quality start, and he's compiled a 2.03 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 31:11 K:BB in 31 innings during that streak. He now has a 3.99 ERA and 128:55 K:BB across 149 innings this season.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Strikes out six in loss
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Keller (5-11) took the loss to the Mets on Friday, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out six and walking two over six innings.
Keller pitched well enough to earn a quality start Friday, his fourth in a row and his 12th of the year, but still came away with the loss. He tossed 57 of 84 pitches for strikes across six frames. The righty has been impressive this month, allowing three runs across 19 innings pitched for a 1.42 ERA. Keller now has a 4.03 ERA on the season, but also has an ugly 1.40 WHIP.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Shuts down Cards in no-decision
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Keller struck out six in seven scoreless innings while allowing two hits and three walks in a 4-3 loss Sunday against St. Louis. He did not factor into the decision.
Keller was efficient and effective Sunday, throwing 91 pitches and allowing only one runner to reach second base. He's yet to give up a run in two starts and 13 innings in September. Over his last 11 starts, he has a 2.55 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 49:19 K:BB in 60 innings. He'll look to continue his scoreless streak in his next start, likely next weekend in New York against the Mets.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Blanks Mets for fifth win
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Keller (5-10) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing five hits and two walks over six scoreless innings in an 8-2 victory over the Mets. He struck out two.
It's the second quality start in a row for the right-hander, and his seventh in his last 10 outings. Keller sports a 2.83 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 43:16 K:BB through 54 innings over that stretch, and the 26-year-old appears to be cementing his spot as one of the core pieces of the Pirates' rotation for 2023 and beyond.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Pirates-Mets postponed
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Keller and the Pirates won't face the Mets on Monday after the game was postponed due to inclement weather in Pittsburgh, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
The two teams are set to make up the contest as part of a split doubleheader Wednesday. Because the Pirates have an open date in the schedule Thursday, the team isn't expected to add a temporary seventh starter to the rotation, so Keller should stay on schedule to make a start against the Mets either Tuesday or Wednesday. Bryse Wilson and Johan Oviedo are in line to start the other two contests of the series.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Sleeper pitchers for Week 23 (Sept. 5-11)
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Keller can't seem to figure out what kind of pitcher he wants to be, emphasizing the four-seamer in his last start after working off the sinker more in recent weeks, but the fact is he has a 3.19 ERA in his past nine starts. He's of some interest in points leagues with two starts this week.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Bounces back against Brewers
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Keller allowed two earned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out 10 across six innings Tuesday against the Brewers. He did not factor into the decision.
Keller racked up a career high in strikeouts, backed by 14 swinging strikes across 105 total pitches. He otherwise primarily kept the ball on the ground, with his only blemish coming on a two-run home run by Kolten Wong in the fourth frame. Keller still has inconsistent results from start to start, but he has maintained a 3.50 ERA with a 48:15 K:BB across 54 innings in his last 10 outings. He also owns a 4.43 ERA and 1.46 WHIP for the season but should continue to get chances to stack positive starts out of Pittsburgh's rotation to close the campaign.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Hammered by Atlanta
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Keller (4-10) took the loss in Wednesday's 14-2 rout at the hands of Atlanta, surrendering seven runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks over 3.2 innings. He struck out five.
The right-hander reeled off five straight quality starts sandwiched around the All-Star break, but Keller's solid run has come crashing to a halt as he's failed to get more than 11 outs in either of his last two outings. Fortunately for his ratios, a couple errors by Josh VanMeter kept all of Atlanta's five runs in the fourth unearned. Keller tossed 53 of 82 pitches for strikes Wednesday before getting the hook, and he'll carry a 4.50 ERA and 97:44 K:BB through 118 innings into his next start.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Starting Wednesday vs. Atlanta
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Keller (shoulder) will start Wednesday at home against Atlanta, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
He exited his start Tuesday with shoulder fatigue, and will end up getting a few extra days of rest while avoiding a stint on the injured list. Keller has a 4.26 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 15:8 K:BB in 25.1 innings over his last five starts.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Plays catch Wednesday
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Keller (shoulder) was able to play catch Wednesday without any discomfort, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Keller's ability to do some light throwing one day after being pulled early in his start against the Red Sox is a good sign, but an upcoming bullpen session will be the real test of his health. If Keller's right shoulder presents no issues when he attempts to throw off a mound Thursday or Friday, he should be ready to make his next turn through the rotation Sunday against Cincinnati.
Keller was removed from Tuesday's start against the Red Sox after two innings due to right shoulder fatigue, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Keller had reduced velocity before leaving the contest, and he's in line for the loss after surrendering five runs (four earned) on five hits with three strikeouts and one walk over two innings. It's unclear if the shoulder fatigue will affect the 26-year-old's availability for his next turn through the rotation, which tentatively lines up for Sunday versus the Reds.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Picks up fourth win
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Keller (4-8) earned the win over Arizona on Wednesday, tossing 5.1 innings and allowing three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three batters.
Keller couldn't extend his streak of five straight quality starts, but he did something he wasn't able to do in any of his past four outings -- pick up a victory. The Pirates gave him an unusually decent amount of run support, and Keller capitalized by holding the Diamondbacks without an extra-base hit. The right-hander owned a 5.21 ERA through 16 starts on July 6, but he's been able to lower that to a much more respectable 4.25 with his recent solid stretch. Keller may finally be living up to the potential that made him a second-round draft pick by Pittsburgh in 2014.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Quality start streak at five
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Keller (3-8) took the loss Friday, allowing one run on eight hits and a walk over six innings in a 1-0 loss to the Orioles. He struck out one.
The 26-year-old was stingy but not dominant, tossing 54 of 87 pitches for strikes before exiting, but Keller got outdueled by Baltimore's Dean Kremer. Keller has delivered five straight quality starts, posting a superb 1.74 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 22:6 K:BB through 31 innings over that stretch as his offseason velocity gains appear to finally be paying off.
