Not Worth the Wait: Keller Stumbles, Pirates Crumble; Hayes Makes Must-See Web Gem

PITTSBURGH — Thursday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros was delayed by nearly three and a half hours due to rain. 

Despite showing early promise in the late hours of the night, things quickly unraveled for the Pirates in an 8-2 loss in the series rubber match. 

How We Got There

The Pirates (23-40) took a brief 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third when Oneil Cruz brought home Jared Triolo from third on a chopper up the middle. 

But the Astros (34-28) rallied for four runs against Mitch Keller in the top of the fourth. 

Isaac Paredes belted a solo home run to left to begin the inning. With two outs, Cam Smith singled home a run to give the Astros the lead. One batter later, Jacob Melton plated a pair with a base hit to left.

Cruz drove in his second run of the ninth with a base hit to right against Framber Valdez in the fifth. 

Jeremy Peña extended the Astros lead to 6-2 with an RBI double in the seventh. Paredes hit his second home run of the game against Ryan Borucki in the ninth, a two-run shot to left. 

Valdez (6-4) held the Pirates to two runs across 7.0 innings. He struck out 11 batters, the most he’s had in a game since striking out 13 against the Angels on July 15, 2023.

Key Moment

This moment had no impact on the outcome of the game, but it was too good a play to not include. Ke’Bryan Hayes showed why he’s a Gold Glover at the hot corner by robbing Isaac Paredes of a hit in the fifth.

HOT CORNER DEFENSE 😮‍💨

Ke'Bryan Hayes shows us how it's done pic.twitter.com/YG1AUWwBH4

— MLB (@MLB) June 6, 2025

Star of the Game

Isaac Paredes recorded the eighth multi-homer game of his career and his second this season. He also hit two homers against the Rays on May 21. 

Notable Performances

• Mitch Keller: 6.1 innings, eight hits, six runs, one walk, five strikeouts, 89 pitches/66 strikes
• Oneil Cruz: 1 for 4, two RBI
• Jared Triolo: 2 for 2, one double, one walk, two runs

Stat to Know

Mitch Keller hasn’t won a game at PNC Park since last year on July 8 against the New York Mets. His overall record since his last home win is 2-15 and he fell to 1-8 this season. 

Noteworthy

• Isaac Paredes’ home run off Mitch Keller was the first the Pirates’ starter has allowed against a right-handed batter this season.
• This was Jared Triolo’s second multi-hit game of the season. His other was a 2-for-4 performance on May 28 in Arizona, the last time he was in the lineup before Thursday night.
• The Pirates struck out 16 times, the most they’ve had in a game this season.

Up Next

The Pirates welcome their Keystone counterparts as the Philadelphia Phillies make their way to PNC Park on Friday night. Former Phillie LHP Bailey Falter (4-3 ,3.14 ERA) will start for the Pirates. Philadelphia has yet to announce a starter. First pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET.