Pirates Drop Rubber Match to Padres; Keller Sharp But Gets Quick Hook
PITTSBURGH — Mitch Keller threw six-shutout innings but was pulled after only throwing 75 pitches and the San Diego Padres took advantage of the quick hook to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates in an 8-2 rubber match at PNC Park on Wednesday afternoon.
Scoring Plays
Top 7th, 4-0 SD: After the Pirates (7-5) lifted Keller, the Padres (6-6) put up four runs (three earned) against Justin Lawrence (0-1). Nick Castellanos doubled home a pair and Jake Cronenworth hit a two-run home run to right-center.
Bottom 7th, 4-2 SD: The Pirates got on the board on a Konnor Griffin sac fly to left field off Kyle Hart. Joey Bart followed with a single to center to plate Nick Gonzales. Both runs were charged to Padres starter Michael King (1-1).
Top 9th, : The Pirates played poor defense and committed two errors behind José Urquidy and gifted the Padres four runs to add plenty of insurance for Bethel Park-native Mason Miller, who finished things off in the ninth.
Key Moments
After cutting the deficit to two, the Pirates brought the tying run to the plate with one out against Kyle Hart but came up empty. Oneil Cruz bounced into a fielder’s choice and Brandon Lowe flied out to left field.
Player of the Game
Nick Yorke finished the game with three hits and reached base safely in all four trips to the plate. It was the second three-hit game of his career.
Stat to Know
With four strikeouts against the Padres, Mitch Keller moved into 11th-place on the Pirates all-time list with 848. He needs four more to tie Rick Rhoden for 10th on the franchise all-time list.
Notable Performances
- Mitch Keller: 6.0 innings, three hits, no runs, one walk, four strikeouts, 75 pitches/49 strikes
- Justin Lawrence: 1.0 inning, three hits, four runs (three earned), no walks, two strikeouts, 25 pitches/18 strikes
- Nick Yorke: 3 for 3, one double, one run, one walk
Noteworthy
- Before the game, the Pirates announced a nine-year extension with SS Konnor Griffin that will keep him in Pittsburgh through 2026.
- Oneil Cruz extended his hitting streak to eight games, which is the second-longest streak of his career. Cruz had at least one hit in 11 straight games from Aug. 20-31, 2024.
- Ryan O’Hearn’s 19-game on-base streak came to an end after finishing 0 for 4. It was the second-longest active streak in MLB behind Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers (42 games).
Up Next
The Pirates are off on Thursday and will start a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wigley Field on Friday. Pittsburgh will send out RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (0-0, 4.00 ERA). LHP Shota Imanaga (0-1, 4.50 ERA) will start for Chicago. First pitch: 2:20 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh, MLB Network/100.1 FM & AM 1020.
More about:Pirates
Why the quick hook?
Kelly said Keller was nearing his pitch limit (85) coming off regular rest for the first time this season. Didn’t want to send him back out for a partial inning.
Just like last year…why is Keller jinxed with very poor run support? He has a 1.00 ERA after 3 games, and only a 1-0 record. He could be 3-0….if not for the jinx.
Kelly made the call or some analytics geek, either way it cost them the game yet again. Lawrence was a horrible choice to follow Keller. I like Lawrence, but he should never, ever follow Keller