Mitch Keller recorded his fifth straight quality start tonight in the Pirates' 3-2 loss to the Padres at Petco Park. After 12 starts, Keller is tied with Paul Skenes and four other pitchers for the major-league lead with nine quality starts. 

"Quality starts are nice but it wasn't enough tonight," Keller said. "It sucks, but just gotta keep going." 

The right-hander dealt early, retiring the first 11 batters he faced. Manny Machado, the 12th hitter, doubled to the right-center gap on a two-seam fastball down in the zone and scored a play later on a groundball that skipped away from Isiah Kiner-Falefa and into the outfield. 

Keller was tagged for two more runs in the sixth, after the Pirates had taken a 2-1 lead. He gave up three hits, three earned runs and two walks over six innings. 

"He pitched really really well and probably deserved the W," Don Kelly said. "It’s been something he’s been fighting, but he did another great job tonight and went six innings and three runs and gave us a chance to win." 

Keller didn't have the strikeout pitch, recording only one, but went after hitters to induce contact for groundouts and flyouts. He leaned on his four-seam and two-seam fastballs, throwing them 57% of the time. They were put in play 10 times.

• David Bednar and Tanner Rainey worked two scoreless innings after Keller. Rainey recorded two strikeouts and Bednar used four pitches in the eighth inning. Bednar hasn't allowed a hit in his last two outings and hasn't allowed an earned run in his last three. Rainey has been just as strong giving up just two hits in his last six outings. 

• The Pirates struck out 14 times. Ke'Bryan Hayes struck out four times while Henry Davis and Adam Frazier both struck out three. Four others struck out once. It's the 22nd time the Pirates have recorded double-digit strikeouts in a game.