In year of growth, Keller has earned Shelton's 'trust' in big moments

NEW YORK -- By the time Derek Shelton had gotten to Citi Field's pitcher's mound Friday, Mitch Keller had noticed something important. The manager never flashed a sign towards the bullpen.

Though the situation could have easily called for a reliever -- the bases loaded after a hit by pitch and two outs in a tight game in the sixth -- Shelton wanted to hear from his right-hander before he made his decision.

"I went out there with the intention to see where he was at, and his commentary was good, his plan was good," Shelton said. "And it was his plan when I asked him. I said, 'what do you want to do here?' He had it set in his mind."

This was a rarity for Shelton, who almost always goes to the bullpen when he makes a trip to the mound. Keller was given another chance, and he got back on the mound and challenged Luis Guillorme with fastballs up. First a 97 mph heater for a called strike, then another for a swinging strike and a 98 mph fastball that was softly lined to Oneil Cruz at shortstop for the final out. Keller had gotten out of the jam.

And while Keller would end up being saddled with the loss, as the Pirates lost to the Mets 4-3, finishing that inning is a big step forward from the pitcher we had seen in years past.

Because what do you think would have happened last year if Shelton came out in that same spot? Would Keller have been able to communicate that plan with the same conviction and stayed in the game?

"Definitely not last year," Keller said. "I think I would have been maybe looking for somebody to take me out of that inning. But yeah, definitely not anymore. I feel like I have that confidence to stay in there and I can get anybody out. I don't really care who it is."

Keller had renewed confidence coming into this year after working at Tread Athletics and finding new fastball velocity. It could have wavered after the first month and a half of the season did not go the way that he wanted, briefly being demoted into the bullpen.

Since returning to the rotation on May 31, Keller has recorded a 3.28 ERA over 104 1/3 innings. In that stretch, he's pitched at least six innings in 14 of his 19 starts. After years of ups and downs, he's been solid for nearly two-thirds of the season. 

It's that prolonged period of success that earned Keller a chance to finish what he started Friday.

"It is trust," Shelton said. "I think he's deserved that the way he's pitched over the last three months. It was more where he was at and then how he was going to attack. And the fact that right out of his mouth was the plan of what he wanted to do was very clear, he was very firm, which was good. That's what I wanted to hear. I wanted to hear what he was going to do, how he was going to do it.

"I think at these times we talk about growth moments, and that was a growth moment. Going in and executing pitches, he did a heck of a job."

If the numbers weren't enough of a boost, that confidence he's pitching with stems from his belief in his stuff. Not just the sinker that has grabbed so much attention since he started throwing it in late May, but his whole five-pitch mix. On Friday, he challenged the Mets primarily with fastballs through all quadrants of the zone, with very few tailing too far out of the zone.

After his previous start, this reporter referred to Keller as a sinkerballer since that had been his fastball of choice for most of the season, but the right-hander said he didn't consider himself a sinker-first pitcher. He had a full mix. He showed he could use it all.

So even when his final line isn't the best of his season -- six innings, three runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts -- he's shown he doesn't get down on himself and he can continue forward and provide a start that keeps his team in the ball game if nothing else.

And when he gets in those jams, he has the trust of his manager to get out of a big spot.

"It's a great feeling to know that he trusts me in a really big situation like that," Keller said. "I mean, base hit and the game gets out of hand there. Just the trust that he had in me, it's special. It's really cool."

MORE FROM THE GAME

• Alas, Keller's big moment and quality start came in a losing effort.

After scrapping together just one run through the first seven innings via a Michael Chavis infield single, Cruz crushed a Taijuan Walker fastball left over the plate for a two-run homer, cutting the deficit to 4-3. 

"My previous at-bat, I noticed the sequence that he was throwing against me," Cruz said through interpreter Mike Gonzalez. "I was going up there looking for the fastball. Just being memorable of the sequence he was throwing at me, I was expecting the same and I caught him. I saw the fastball and I was able to clip it."

Cruz nearly had two homers in the game, but in the fifth, Jeff McNeil made a catch at the wall to rob a sure extra-base hit, if not a three-run homer that would have given the Pirates the lead halfway through. 

Even if he fell just short on that swing, two quality home run worthy swings is a positive sign from the rookie shortstop.

"I think we're continuing to see Oneil get better," Shelton said.

• The robbed Cruz home run was the most pivotal play of the game. The second-most important play was a stolen base attempt in the ninth.

After Ben Gamel led off the bottom of the ninth with a four-pitch walk, Shelton turned to Greg Allen to pinch-run to see if he can steal his way into scoring position. Allen beat Tomás Nido's throw to second, but Mets second baseman Guillorme blocked the bag with his leg, so he was tagged before he actually got his hand on the base.

"It's a legal play," Shelton said when asked if he took issue with the block. "The issue I have is it's going to take until someone gets hurt for them to change that rule, and it's something I firmly feel they should change. It's a play that's in the rulebook right now and it's a legal play and he did a nice job with it. We had to wait to change the blocking of the plate rule until someone got hurt. I hope we don't have [to wait] to change that rule until someone gets hurt."

• With two outs and nobody out, Cal Mitchell put a charge into an Edwin Díaz slider, but it died on the warning track. Citi Field is just one of five parks that could have held that fly ball.

Díaz got the final five outs for the save.

And yes, the Díaz entrance to the trumpets in Narco by Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet was as good as advertised. 

• This video of Ke'Bryan Hayes eating sunflower seeds as the Mets score could go viral.

• A quick roster move to report: Outfielder Bligh Madris, who was designated for assignment by the Pirates Tuesday, was claimed by the Rays.

• Another quick move, the Pirates will be sending nine prospects to the Arizona Fall League this year:

• With the loss, the Pirates fall to 55-90 on the season. They need to go at least 8-9 down the stretch to avoid a second straight 100-loss season.

THE ESSENTIALS

• Boxscore
•  Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard

THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE INJURIES

• 15-day injured list: RHP David Bednar (back)

• 60-day injured list: RHP Yerry De Los Santos (lat), OF Canaan Njigba-Smith (wrist), RHP Colin Holderman (right shoulder), RHP Blake Cederlind (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), C Roberto Pérez (hamstring)

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card:

1. Oneil Cruz, SS
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Rodolfo Castro, 2B
4. Ben Gamel, RF
5. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
6. Cal Mitchell, DH
7. Michael Chavis, 1B
8. Jack Suwinski, LF
9. Tyler Heineman, C

And for Buck Showalter's Mets:

1. Brandon Nimmo, CF
2. Francisco Lindor, SS
3. Jeff McNeil, RF
4. Pete Alonso, 1B
5. Daniel Vogelbach, DH
6. Mark Canha, LF
7. Luis Guillorme, 2B
8. Eduardo Escobar, 3B
9. Tomás Nido, C

THE SCHEDULE

Bryse Wilson (3-8, 6.03) will take the ball for the second time this road trip Saturday to take on Chris Bassitt (13-8, 3.44) and the Mets. I'll have you covered again.

THE CONTENT

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