Keller continues to find value in an expansive arsenal
Mitch Keller used all seven pitches in his arsenal, including an improved changeup and a cutter he's gone to sparingly this spring, and said he got a "good feel" for each of his weapons in the Pirates' 6-3 loss to the Orioles at LECOM Park Monday night.
"Obviously a lot of balls with four-seams, but it got better as the game got on," said Keller, who threw 42 of 71 pitches for strikes in completing 3 1/3 innings. "I got a lot better feel of what I need to do in my delivery to execute those a little bit more. A lot of good work."
Keller allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts. He pitched to four batters in the second before exiting and re-entering in the third. He ended up pitching into the fifth for the first time this spring.
"Getting that fifth up is huge just for building up. It's not the inning that matters. It's going out there, warming up and then facing a batter, that's the big thing," Keller said. "Super pleased with everything tonight."
The changeup is a pitch Keller has thrown quite frequently this spring after throwing it a total of 21 times during the regular season last year. He turned to it 10 times against the Rays on Feb. 28, seven times against the Blue Jays on March 5 and nine more times on this particular night in which he generated three whiffs and benefitted from two called strikes.
"It honestly feels like 50% (usage) just from the drastic changes of using it a lot," Keller said. "But yeah, super happy with it. Probably up it a lot more to lefties. We didn't really find any opportunities to do it to righties today. Just another weapon to use."
The cutter is a pitch Keller hasn't used as frequently this spring. He turned to it just once on Monday after utilizing it on a 12.2% basis last season and struggled with it at times, allowing an opposing batting average of .272. Keller said that, analyzing what happened last year and where it's at, the more he can protect it, the better.
"So taking changeup usage up, cutter down, maybe help protect both of them and just being able to use it a little bit more and not have hitters sitting on it a lot," Keller said. "That's the thought behind that one."
Whether or not he elects to turn to the changeup more than the cutter moving forward, Keller feels comfort in knowing he has those two pitches in his back pocket. They only add to his other weapons -- four-seam fastball, sweeper, slider, sinker and curveball -- while helping him become even more unpredictable on the mound.
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THE ASYLUM
José Negron
2:07 am - 03.11.2025Bradenton, Fla.Keller continues to find value in an expansive arsenal
Mitch Keller used all seven pitches in his arsenal, including an improved changeup and a cutter he's gone to sparingly this spring, and said he got a "good feel" for each of his weapons in the Pirates' 6-3 loss to the Orioles at LECOM Park Monday night.
"Obviously a lot of balls with four-seams, but it got better as the game got on," said Keller, who threw 42 of 71 pitches for strikes in completing 3 1/3 innings. "I got a lot better feel of what I need to do in my delivery to execute those a little bit more. A lot of good work."
Keller allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts. He pitched to four batters in the second before exiting and re-entering in the third. He ended up pitching into the fifth for the first time this spring.
"Getting that fifth up is huge just for building up. It's not the inning that matters. It's going out there, warming up and then facing a batter, that's the big thing," Keller said. "Super pleased with everything tonight."
The changeup is a pitch Keller has thrown quite frequently this spring after throwing it a total of 21 times during the regular season last year. He turned to it 10 times against the Rays on Feb. 28, seven times against the Blue Jays on March 5 and nine more times on this particular night in which he generated three whiffs and benefitted from two called strikes.
"It honestly feels like 50% (usage) just from the drastic changes of using it a lot," Keller said. "But yeah, super happy with it. Probably up it a lot more to lefties. We didn't really find any opportunities to do it to righties today. Just another weapon to use."
The cutter is a pitch Keller hasn't used as frequently this spring. He turned to it just once on Monday after utilizing it on a 12.2% basis last season and struggled with it at times, allowing an opposing batting average of .272. Keller said that, analyzing what happened last year and where it's at, the more he can protect it, the better.
"So taking changeup usage up, cutter down, maybe help protect both of them and just being able to use it a little bit more and not have hitters sitting on it a lot," Keller said. "That's the thought behind that one."
Whether or not he elects to turn to the changeup more than the cutter moving forward, Keller feels comfort in knowing he has those two pitches in his back pocket. They only add to his other weapons -- four-seam fastball, sweeper, slider, sinker and curveball -- while helping him become even more unpredictable on the mound.
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