PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He’s the guy you payed $77 million to this offseason to be the top of the rotation starter and Mitch Keller, like he has most of the season, delivered a meh performance as the Brewers come back to beat the Pirates 7-5 on Thursday afternoon.
Keller gave up four runs for the fourth time in six starts, the final line-five innings, six hits, four runs, two walks and seven strikeouts.
“Not very good, just not in a good groove,” Keller said. “Didn’t execute well, threw too many pitches. Not very good.”
“He really struggled with his delivery today,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “I don't know if I've seen him miss on both sides of the plate as much as he did. The third is where it was really inconsistent. He came in between innings and I think they had a pretty good conversation.”
“He went back out in the fourth and had a seven-pitch inning and I think did a good job. But it was just overall a lack of command. He just looked like he couldn't get in sync.”
Overall on the season the ERA is 5.14 with a 1.49 WHIP with 25 strikeouts to 11 walks in 30 innings as the Bucs split a series against the Brewers.
““It sucks,” Keller said. “Had an opportunity to win three out of four. Splitting the series is still good but we’re just leaving wins out there is just not good. Everybody in this room is at fault for it. Just gotta be better.”
Chapman too many fastballs
Even with the Keller struggles, the Pirates had the lead in the seventh inning with two outs and pinch-hitter Gary Sanchez getting in an 0-2 hole, fouled one off and then the right-hander turned a 102 mile-an-hour Aroldis Chapman fastball into a 104 mile-an-hour opposite field home run and a 6-5 lead.
“I think he just took a really good at-bat and just made a really good connection with the ball there,” Chapman said. “It happens, you know. He had a really good at-bat."
Chapman agreed he threw too many fastballs to Sanchez in that at bat. Shelton thought there may have been another key in that particular matchup.
“We're talking veteran hitter and a guy that's caught this guy for five or six years so I think he probably had a good idea he was gonna go to it,” Shelton said. “Overall, I just think we had too many fastballs.”
Chapman has given up runs in five straight appearances—eight runs total in 3 innings with seven walks and seven strikeouts.
Bart bomb
Catcher Joey Bart drilled his third home in 23 at bats with the Pirates to get the Bucs an early 3-1 lead. The average is at .304/.429 on base/1.119 OPS for the former number two overall pick as he heads back to the team that drafted him for a three-game series starting Friday night.
“He's having good swings,” Shelton said. “This is a guy that was very highly-touted and has some ability. He's done a nice job since we've added him.”
GM Ben Cherington said they may know by the end of the week when Yasmani Grandal will be called up, seems like a foregone conclusion that 2021 first-round pick Henry Davis will head to AAA when that happens as Bart is out of options.
On-base streaks
• Oneil Cruz is on a six game on-base streak, average is up 28 points and the on base up 41 points.
“I think he's swinging at the right pitches,” Shelton said. “That's the biggest thing. When he went through the stretch where he wasn't being as consistent, we really saw him start to expand the zone and he's done a nice job of narrowing it back up.”
• Connor Joe has been on base nine straight games and consider he didn’t start four of those games. The 31-year-old has been on base in 19 of his 21 games.
Up Next
Pirates head out west to start a road trip in San Francisco with Quinn Priester (0-1, 8.31 ERA) making his second MLB start of the season against LHP Kyle Harrison (2-1, 5.00 ERA) with Dan Zangrilli hosting the North Shore Tavern Leadoff Show presented by Pella Windows starting at 9p with first pitch on 93.7 The Fan at 10:15p. Martin Perez will start at 9:05p on Saturday and Jared Jones at 4:05p on Sunday.