A Disappointing Finish for Mitch Keller… and Not Just the Home Finale

PITTSBURGH – Mitch Keller made his final start of the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday in what was the last game at PNC Park in 2024.

The results were less than stellar. Keller allowed three runs on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts in five innings and took the loss as the Brewers defeated the Bucs 5-2.

The silver lining, at least, is that Keller’s stuff looked sharper and he had improved velocity.

“Everything felt loose and just felt good,” he said. “Obviously disappointing outcome, but happy with that outing for sure.”

Keller’s 31st and final start of the season concluded a disappointing second half of the year. 

At the break, a case could be made that Keller was snubbed from joining teammates Paul Skenes and Bryan Reynolds at Globe Life Field for the All-Star Game.

Keller was 10-5 with a 3.46 ERA in 19 starts prior to the hiatus. Among National League starters at the time, Keller was third in wins, tied for ninth in ERA and 10th in strikeouts with 105.

Keller’s durability and efficiency were what really stood out in a strong first-half of the season. Keller opened the season with 18-straight starts of working at least five innings and totaled 49-consecutive such starts dating back to last season. It was by far the longest-active streak in baseball prior to being snapped with a three-inning start against the Chicago White Sox just before the break.

But after the Pirates returned to action, Keller’s season quickly went downhill.

The 29-year-old initially put together back-to-back strong outings after the Pirates returned to action. Keller faced the St. Louis Cardinals in his first start back and then the Diamondbacks in Arizona and combined to allow three runs across 14 innings.

But over his next nine starts, Keller went 1-6 with a 6.85 ERA entering Wednesday’s outing. After taking the loss again in the game against the Brewers, Keller finished 1-7 with a 5.65 ERA with the Pirates winning just four of the 11 games in which he was the starting pitcher. 

Though a pitcher’s win-loss record doesn’t mean as much as it once did, Keller (11-12) dipped below .500 for the first time since the end of April. 

It was an eerily similar season to the one Keller had with the Pirates last season.

Keller was named an All-Star for the first time in his career after going 9-4 with a 3.31 ERA in 19 first-half starts. But he faltered and went 4-5 with a 5.59 ERA in 13 starts during the second half. 

“I think that’s going to be where we spend our focus,” manager Derek Shelton explained. “In two years, (he) got off to a really good start and then just wasn’t consistent in the second half. Now that we have two years in a row like that, that should be our focus of what are we doing? A full encompassing of everything he does throughout the second half.”

Keller’s emergence from his days as a struggling young pitcher in the early portion of his career has been impressive. It’s why the Pirates signed him to a five-year extension in spring training.

But in order for him to take the next step, and the Pirates to do the same, he’ll need to find a way to get more consistent as the season drags on.

How will he do that? There’s no definite answer right now, but Keller will search for one this winter. One thing Keller has grown fond of this season is reviewing his starts in a condensed form to see if there’s anything that stands out from start-to-start. Outside of that, external help might be what helps Keller the most.

“Definitely just a lot of things to keep growing on and maybe picking other people’s brains, other starters around the league just to see how they put a full season together.” he explained.

Maybe 2025 will finally prove to be the Pirates’ year. Then again, maybe it won’t. Regardless, Keller is already excited for next year after another season of no playoffs in Pittsburgh.

“Going into 2025 puts a smile on my face,” he said. I think we have a lot of great talent in this room, especially on the pitching staff … Just couldn’t be more excited about it.”