Pirates

Pirates Daily: Can Keller Get ERA Below Four?

Published

2 years ago

September 16, 2022

Friday, Sept. 16, the Pittsburgh Pirates (55-89) face the New York Mets (90-54) at Citi Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

The Pirates’ four-game winning streak and their momentum came to a screeching halt during Thursday’s tilt against the Mets and lost the opener of a four-game series.

The game will be aired on AT&T Sportsnet PIT and can be heard on 93.7 The Fan

Starters

Starting for the Pirates will be Mitch Keller (5-10, 4.01 ERA).

Keller’s last start on Sept. 11 was one of the best in a Pirates’ uniform. Keller pitched seven shutout innings while giving up just two hits. The only issue Keller faced against the Cardinals on the 11th was walking three. Keller evenly distributed his four-seam, curveball, and sinker pitch throughout the afternoon and was efficient.

Starting for the Mets is scheduled to be Taijuan Walker (11-4, 3.48 ERA).

Walker had a tough time in his last outing against the Pirates on Sept. 6. Walker lasted five innings but gave up four earned runs on six hits and two walks.

Betting Odds

The Mets open up as -265 favorites, with the Pirates listed as +220 underdogs on the moneyline. New York’s -1.5 run line can be had at -120 odds, whereas Pittsburgh’s +1.5 run line opens up at -104 odds. The O/U stands at 7.5 runs.

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not

Who’s Hot: Keller, who has been pitching well, has thrown 15 straight scoreless innings dating back to Aug. 30. That’s the longest stretch by a Pirates’ starting pitcher this season.

Who’s Not: It’s been a rough stretch at the plate for Jack Suwinski, who is hitless in his last 15 at-bats. Eight of those at-bats have resulted in strikeouts, including three in Thursday’s loss to the Mets.

Tidbits:

Keller needs just 5.1 more innings pitched to match his career high of 142.1 set in 2018. Keller, while in the Pirates’ minor league system, split time at three levels in ’18 between Bradenton, Altoona, and Indianapolis.
Since being recalled on June 20, Oneil Cruz has hit 15 home runs, which ties Willy Adames in the N.L. for the most home runs hit by a primary shortstop
Prior to Thursday’s game, Rodolfo Castro has hit safely in seven straight games for the Pirates. During that span, Castro is batting .267/.313/.633.