Pirates

Pirates Preview: Can Mitch Keller Serve as Stopper Again?

Published

2 months ago

August 3, 2024

The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped a thrilling 9-8 game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night at PNC Park.

The Diamondbacks (59-51) scored five runs in a first inning that included back-to-back-to-back home runs following a little-league homer. While the Pirates (55-54) rallied to take the lead, Arizona came out on top after scoring three runs in the final three innings.

The Pirates will try and even the series on Saturday night and stay withing striking distance of Arizona in the wild card race.

First pitch is set for 6:40 ET and the game will be aired on SportsNet Pittsburgh.

Weather

Cloudy skies with a chance of a storm around first pitch. Temperatures in the upper-70s and winds N at 5 mph.

The Pittsburgh Pirates Will Send Out RHP Mitch Keller (10-5, 3.30 ERA)

Keller delivered his second-straight seven-inning performance after holding the Diamondbacks to two runs on Sunday at Chase Field.

Since throwing a complete game against the Los Angeles Angels on May 6, Keller boasts a 2.45 ERA. That’s the fourth-lowest ERA in baseball over that span. Teammates Paul Skenes leads the way with a 1.90 ERA.

Keller has pitched extremely well at PNC Park this season. In 10 home starts, he has a 2.74 ERA compared to a still solid but not as good 3.88 ERA on the road.

In four starts against the Diamondbacks in his career, Keller is 1-0 with a 2.49 ERA.

The Arizona Diamondbacks Will Send Out LHP Jordan Montgomery (7-5, 6.51 ERA)

Montgomery’s first year in Arizona has not gone according to plan. The Diamondbacks signed the veteran left-hander as a free agent right at the start of the regular season.

After two strong outings to open the year, Montgomery has a 7.30 ERA in 13 starts since May 1. In his last start, he allowed six runs on nine hits in four innings against the Nationals.

Montgomery’s fastball velocity has dipped considerably from last season to an average of 91.7 mph. He also throws a sinker, curveball, changeup and the occasional slider.

He’s faced the Pirates four times and despite a 1-3 record, Montgomery has a robust 2.63 ERA against them.

Diamondbacks Hitters vs. Keller

Eugenio Suárez: 2 for 14, one home run, two RBIs, four walks, seven strikeouts
Geraldo Perdomo: 0 for 10, three strikeouts
Ketel Marte: 4 for 9, one home run, two RBIs, one strikeout
Joc Pederson: 2 for 9, one double, three RBIs, one walk, three strikeouts
Alek Thomas: 2 for 8, two strikeouts
Josh Bell: 6 for 7, one double, one home run, three RBIs, four walks
Corbin Carroll: 1 for 7, one RBI, two walks, three strikeouts
Jake McCarthy: 2 for 5, one triple, one RBI, one strikeout
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.: 0 for 4, one walk
Gabriel Moreno: 0 for 4, one walk, one strikeout

Pirates Hitters vs. Montgomery

Andrew McCutchen: 5 for 17, two doubles, one home run, three RBIs, one walk, two strikeouts
Bryan De La Cruz: 3 for 10, one walk
Connor Joe: 2 for 9, one double, two RBIs, three strikeouts
Ke’Bryan Hayes: 1 for 8, one home run, one RBI, one strikeout
Rowdy Tellez: 1 for 6, one double, one RBI, three strikeouts
Michael A. Taylor: 1 for 5, one double, two RBIs, one walk, two strikeouts
Yasmani Grandal: 0 for 5, three strikeouts
Bryan Reynolds: 0 for 5, one walk
Ji Hwan Bae: 1 for 3

Tidbits

Oneil Cruz went 5 for 5 in the loss to the Diamondbacks. It marked the first five-hit game of Cruz’s career.
Friday marked Andrew McCutchen’s 2,100th game of his career. He leads all active players in games played. Among current major-leaguers, former Pirates first baseman is second with 2,031.
The Pirates dropped to 40-6 on the season when outhitting their opponent. Pittsburgh totaled 13 hits while Arizona had 11, five of which went for homers.