Mitch Keller made sure that the Chicago Cubs had a 'Ruff Ryde' Saturday night at PNC Park.
The Pirates' righty, who honored the late DMX with his batting walk-up music, tossed five innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits, striking out seven Cubs hitters and walking only one, as the Bucs won in front of 7,052 rain-soaked, but enthusiastic fans.
"Mitch did a nice job, bounced back," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. "Obviously, he had struggled with his command. But seven punchouts (after) a leadoff walk. That's what really stood out."
After a rocky first inning Saturday in which he walked the leadoff batter and allowed Kris Bryant to double in the game's opening run, Keller locked in for his first ever victory at PNC Park.
"It felt really good," Keller said. "I just let it all out there and filled it up as much as I could. That was the game plan going in, to use my fastball and see where that gets it. I stuck to the plan and it worked."
Keller got plenty of support. The Pirates trailed, 1-0, after an inning. But the bats woke up in the second in a major way, plating seven runs on five hits, as eleven hitters came to the plate in the frame.
"It was awesome to see the guys break out like that and put up that number," Keller said. "But I was going out there with the same mentality, filling it up and using my stuff to get quick outs."
Keller lasted only three innings in a start in Chicago six days ago. That followed a spring training in which he was wildly inconsistent with his command.
"I had a rough spring and a rough first outing, so it felt really good to have a good one out there," he said. "All the hard work I put in just finally paid off tonight and I'm just really excited to keep going after this one."
Friends, Fans, Family and Phil
Many in the socially distanced crowd at PNC Park stayed through a steady rain that began in the sixth inning. And they made their presence known as the Pirates won their second game of the year.
"They were obviously in the game," Shelton said. "That was kind of cool. The other night we didn't let them in the game, on opening night. But tonight they were really in it, so that was really cool."
That included third baseman Phillip Evans' father, mother, brother and sister-in-law, who made the trip from California. His brother, Michael, had never seen him play live in a Major League game.
"After last season not having fans there, to have some family in there, it was a special night," Evans said. "I'm glad they were there to be a part of it."
Evans went 2-for-4 with a towering home run into the bullpen in centerfield in the sixth inning, leading to some of the faithful in attendance to start an MVP chant during his last at-bat.
"Ah, is that what they were chanting up there," quipped Evans.
Update on Hayes
Shelton said pregame that Pirates rookie third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes is "progressing" from a wrist injury and that he took ground balls recently.
"It's not something we're going to rush," Shelton said. "Ke'Bryan's ahead of his years in a lot of ways and he's been transparent with us on how he feels."
Hayes has not played since April 3 and is currently on the 10-day injured list.
Alford's Sumbrero
Anthony Alford went 0-for-4 in the game, striking out four times for the 'Golden Sumbrero.' Alford is now hitless in 15 at-bats this season and has struck out 12 times.
Alford and fellow centerfielder Dustin Fowler are a combined 3-for-30 through eight games.
"We've got to figure it out," Shelton said before the game. "The two guys have to continue to play, they have to grind through it and we have to figure out how to have more consistent at-bats."
Shelton noted that, at some point soon, Bryan Reynolds may be moved over from left field to center.
For the Win
The Pirates look to take a series for the first time this season on Sunday afternoon, as former Pittsburgh pitcher Trevor Williams will start for the Cubs against JT Brubaker for Pittsburgh. The game will begin at 1:05 p.m. and can be heard on 93.7 The Fan and the Audacy app.
