Pirates

Pirates Daily: Mitch Keller Needs to Right the Ship

Published

2 years ago

August 30, 2022

Tuesday, Aug. 30 the Pittsburgh Pirates (48-80) play game two of a three-game road series against the Milwaukee Brewers (48-79) at American Family Field.

The Pirates are coming off of a heartbreaking 7-5 loss Monday night, as Keston Hiura walked it off with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.

The game will air on AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh and 93.7 The Fan. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.

Starters

Mitch Keller (4-10, 4.50 ERA) is scheduled to toe the rubber for the Pirates. Keller was the victim of poor defense in his last start last Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves when he gave up seven runs, though two of them earned. Keller, over his last two outings, has combined for 5.2 innings pitched.

Keller’s opponent will be 29-year-old rookie Jason Alexander (2-1, 5.26 ERA). Alexander, a right-hander, last appeared in a bullpen role last Wednesday when he pitched 3.1 innings and gave up three earned runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Alexander’s last start in the majors took place July 12. against the Twins when he pitched four innings and gave up two earned runs.

Betting Odds

The Pittsburgh Pirates open up as +154 underdogs on the money line, whereas the Brewers are -184 favorites. Pittsburgh’s +1.5 run line can be had at -127 and Milwaukee’s -1.5 stands at +106. The over/under stands at nine runs.

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not

Who’s Hot: Kevin Newman registered another multi-hit game Monday night and now carries a slash line of .286/.310/.429 over his last week’s worth of at-bats.

Who’s Not: Michael Chavis had a rough night at the plate, striking out three times and failing to register a hit in five at-bats. He is 1 for 12 in his last three games.

Tidbits:

With his home run Monday night, Rodolfo Castro is now batting .317/.368/.603 in August.
Oneil Cruz’s 117.5-mph home run Monday night was the hardest homer by a Pirates’ player since Statcast began tracking in 2015.
There have been eight total balls hit at 115 mph or more in the Statcast Era by the Pirates and Cruz has hit four of them.