PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The Pirates six-game winning streak ended in the unlikeliest of ways—Mitch Keller struggled and they were blown out 11-2 by the now 13-win Oakland A’s.
It was the second loss of the season for Keller, giving up five runs on eight hits and four walks in 5.1 innings. The right-hander only struck out one (lowest of the season).
“Tonight his breaking stuff wasn’t very sharp, so he didn’t get a ton of swing and misses,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “On top of it, the fastball command was really inconsistent.”
“I just didn’t execute,” Keller said. “It comes down to execution. I left too many pitches over the middle and they took advantage, free passes. It was not a good night.”
After a hot start, Keller has now given up 15 earned runs on 25 hits and seven walks in his last three starts.
Offensively the Pirates were 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base. Josh Palacios had the only RBI on a fielders’ choice.
“We had a ton of opportunities,” Shelton said. “We didn’t capitalize on ‘em. We had the bases loaded. We had first and third a couple times and didn’t push guys across. We got the guys on base. We just didn’t get ‘em in.”
Andrew McCutchen walked twice but didn’t have a hit and remains three shy of 2,000 for his career.
Henry debut
The first overall pick in 2021, Henry Davis made his first appearance in AAA Tuesday night. Catching and batting fifth, Davis went 0 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout in a 4-2 Indy loss to Omaha. Cal Mitchell and Nick Gonzales drove in the Indians runs.
Minor Notes
· AA Curve won 6-4 as Matt Gorski drove in a pair of runs and has seven RBI in his last three games
· 1B Mason Martin had two more walks Tuesday for AA Altoona. The lefty hitter has a .212 batting average, but .409 on-base percentage.
· High A left-handed starter Anthony Solometo was outstanding again, no earned runs in six innings in a 2-1 Greensboro win. That is three straight starts not allowing an earned run and only once this season has he allowed more than two runs in a start
· 22-year-old Low A 2B Jack Brannigan (3rd round pick in 2022) hit a pair of home runs and drove in six runs in a 10-3 Bradenton win
· 2022 1st round pick, Low A INF Termarr Johnson walked four times, his OBP is .421.
Bae shift
So many new things for Bucs rookie Ji Hwan Bae. Starting his career as a shortstop and moving to second base, Bae is playing a lot more in centerfield.
And he’s improved and fearless.
“There are young infielders that go to the outfield and have trouble with a lot of things,” Shelton told The Cook and Joe Show on 93.7 The Fan. “There are young infielders that go to the outfield and don’t want any part of the wall. The one thing we can say about Ji Hwan Bae. He is not scared. He goes full tilt, he’s gone into the wall. He has done a really good job out there. We are seeing him right before our eyes get better as a Major League outfielder, and that’s hard to do.”
Longevity of the Buccos
Shelton tells The Cook and Joe Show he believes they have staying power with this group. It’s a team that can continue to be or hang around the division leader.
“I definitely think we have the ingredients,” Shelton said on 93.7 The Fan. “What tells me that is we had a really good April and a really bad May and we bounced back from that. When you go through a tough month and you play the people we played. We didn’t play terrible baseball, but we didn’t play good baseball. When you don’t play good baseball against good teams, you can end up losing games.”
Up Next
Afternoon baseball on 100.1 FM and AM 1020 KDKA with Roansy Contreras (3-4. 4.82 ERA) starting for the Pirates against left-hander Hogan Harris (0-0, 6.97 ERA). North Shore Tavern Leadoff Show with Josh Rowntree at 11:35a.