Pirates starter continues turnaround against O's

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

Pirates starter's continues turnaround in stellar outing vs. O's

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 5/14/23

Pittsburgh Pirates hurler Mitch Keller has emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball early on this season, roughly a year after the team demoted the former top prospect to the bullpen.

On Sunday, Keller's remarkable turnaround continued. He baffled the Baltimore Orioles over seven scoreless innings, recording a career-high 13 strikeouts with zero walks in a 5-0 Pirates' victory.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Keller became the first Pirates pitcher since Francisco Liriano (2016) to strike out 13 batters and walk none in a game. Among starters in Pirates history, only Jose DeLeon (1985) had an outing with more strikeouts (14) while recording zero walks.

Mitch Keller's 10th, 11th, 12th...and 13th Ks pic.twitter.com/iV7H4ayarP
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 14, 2023

The Pirates initially selected him (out of high school) in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Keller struggled mightily over his first four seasons in the Majors. Following a brutal 0-5 start in 2022, the Pirates briefly sent Keller to the bullpen. After returning to the rotation a few weeks later, Keller made 22 more starts, going 4-7 while lowering his ERA from 6.05 to 3.22.

Mitch Keller 2.95 ERA in 31 starts since rejoining the Pirates rotation May 31, 2022
— Joe Block (@joe_block) May 14, 2023

Through nine starts in 2023, the 27-year-old has posted a 5-1 record with a 2.38 ERA and 69 strikeouts, third in the league behind Arizona Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen (70) and Atlanta Braves' Spencer Strider (79).

Keller's impressive outing on Sunday helped the Pirates snap a four-game losing streak. Pittsburgh is 22-19 on the year, but they have not played their best baseball of late. Following a 20-8 start to the season, the Pirates have lost nine of their last 11 games.

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