Mitch Keller Not as Sharp in Pirates’ Rubber Match Loss to Cardinals

Though Mitch Keller again pitched six innings, he wasn’t as sharp as he had been of late for the Pittsburgh Pirates in their 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

Keller (8-4) completed six innings for the seventh-consecutive start and also extended his streak of working at least five innings to 45-straight outings.

The Cardinals (33-34) scored four runs on eight hits against Keller, who didn’t walk a batter and struck out four. The right-hander had won six-straight starts prior to taking the loss on Thursday.

Paul Goldschmidt opened the scoring with a two-run home run to center field on a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the third. 

The Cardinals extended their lead to 3-0 the following inning on Pedro Pagés’ RBI single to right field.

The Pirates (32-36) rallied for three runs to tie the game in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded, Bryan Reynolds grounded one off the leg of Cardinals starter Lance Lynn. It went for an RBI infield single, which extended Reynolds’ hitting streak to 11 games.

Oneil Cruz followed with a two-run single to left field off of left-hander John King to even the score.

The Cardinals reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the sixth on a Brendan Donovan solo shot to right field. It’s the first time this season Keller has allowed multiple home runs in a game. 

Andrew Kittredge filled in for regular closer Ryan Helsley in the ninth and earned his first save of the season. Chris Roycroft (1-0) recorded his first-career win. 

Up Next

The Pirates’ road trip continues in Colorado on Friday night. Pittsburgh has yet to announce a starting pitcher. Right-hander Ryan Feltner (1-5, 5.74 ERA) will start for the Rockies. First pitch: 8:40 ET.

Noteworthy

• Hunter Stratton exited in the eighth inning after delivering a pitch and calling for the training staff.
• The Pirates added Dennis Santana to the active roster and optioned Ryder Ryan to Triple-A Indianapolis. Santana made his team debut in relief of Stratton and retired both batters he faced. 
• Alika Williams (right wrist sprain) will begin a rehab assignment with Indianapolis on Thursday.