This type of energy that Mitch Keller and the Pirates' rotation is feeding off of is contagious.
Maybe rightfully so, Jared Jones and Paul Skenes have received the majority of attention locally and nationally. Skenes' debut and subsequent starts were highly anticipated and Jones' growth has been one of the better stories in all of baseball. They're certainly worthy of the attention, but that doesn't leave Keller by the wayside. After all, the Pirates paid a $77 million tag to keep him intact while this anticipated core was building.
Keller continued to ride that momentum to the tune of 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball in the Pirates' 4-1 win over the Braves Saturday at PNC Park. Keller allowed six hits while striking out four and walking none. Maybe more impressive in this is he had a 28-minute delay to the start of the game and a 30-minute delay mid-game that interrupted the flow of his outing.
“I think we’re just carrying momentum," Keller said. "Baseball’s a game of momentum, and we’re all throwing it really well and it’s really fun to watch. It’s fun to be a part of, too. It gives you that little extra edge ever time out to lock it in a little bit more and strive to be great.”
Keller has a 1.30 ERA in 27 2/3 innings across May. He has allowed three or fewer runs in five straight starts and seven times in 11 starts overall this season.
Keller has been impressive in extending through games. Saturday's outing was his 42nd consecutive start of five-plus innings, which is the longest active streak in baseball. It's the longest streak by a Pirate since A.J. Burnett had 49 straight starts like that in 2012 and 2013.
This traces back to Keller's willingness to go back into the game and pitch after a 30-minute rain delay in the bottom of the fifth inning. Derek Shelton said he expected Keller to give the Pirates the sixth inning, but Keller went back out for the seventh and gave them two more outs beyond that. Shelton pulled Keller when he hit Zack Short with his 88th pitch of the evening to bring up Ronald Acuña, Jr. He turned to Colin Holderman, who stayed on the outside corner of the plate to strike Acuña out looking to end the inning.
"We continue to talk about the maturation of Mitch Keller, it doesn't affect you that you start the game delayed," Shelton said. "He stopped his prep and was able to crank it back up. We're talking about a really good offense here. The last thing you want to see is Acuña come back to the plate. The fact that he was able to do it, and he did a really good job of keeping himself warm. The concern for me or for us, when he went back out, what the velo was. He threw the first pitch at 96 and I went 'all right, he's good still.' Then in the seventh, you started to see the stuff fall off a little bit, and he looked like he emptied it. But again, that's the story of the game."
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) May 25, 2024
The Pirates' rotation has spun quality start after quality start. Over the last nine games, Pirates starters have posted a 2.41 ERA and opposing hitters are averaging .205 against them. The Pirates' 27 quality starts this season are second in the National League behind the Phillies' 30.
Keller was paid to be the ace of this staff. He could easily carry himself that way, but he's more than happy to be feeding off of the energy brought by Jones' emergence and Skenes' presence within the rotation.
“If the attention’s on me, cool. I don’t really care. They both deserve it," Keller said. "They’re great pitchers and being able to be around them is fun. Their mentality, they both have a little edge to themselves which is really fun, and it’s really cool.”
BASEBALL SAVANT
Mitch Keller's pitch chart from Saturday's game against the Braves.
Keller had a 4.98 ERA in 34 1/3 innings and opponents hit .274 against him in April. In May, opponents are hitting .212 off of him, and he is allowing one-half fewer walk and hit per inning pitched in May compared to April.
Jones said the rotation has "a lot" of momentum, and Keller is a major part of why.
"I think he's just trusting his stuff, letting his stuff play in the strike zone," Jones said. "It's why you see him go far into games. He gets a lot of quick outs and he's just a fun guy to watch. ... We're all pitching, guys are hitting and it's a fun time to be playing right now."
Keller kept the Braves out of scoring position, for the most part. Atlanta got a one-put double from Ozzie Albies in the first inning for their lone extra-base hit. Four more Braves would reach scoring position. They scored their lone run by a committee of three singles from Matt Olson, Michael Harris II and Jarred Kelenic in the fourth inning. Keller allowed an infield single to Acuña in the fifth and hit Short with a pitch in the seventh. Those were the only two base runners to reach on Keller's watch afterwards.
"I think just filling the zone up, attacking guys," Keller said. "Getting ahead and staying ahead. Using the full mix of my arsenal. I've got a lot of pitches, so the more I can use it, the more it keeps them off-balance. Just executing strikes and using it all."
