Pittsburgh Pirates Three Stars of the Week: July 11-17

The Pirates had a full week of baseball as their lengthy road trip continued. The Bucs began the week by splitting a four-game series in Miami. After dropping the first two games against the Rockies, the Pirates salvaged the three-game set with a win on Sunday.

The Bucs received strong contributions from a number of players, including a few from some unlikely sources. Here are the Pirates top three performers from last week.

Third Star: Jason Delay – .412/.444/.471, 7 for 17, one double, two RBIs, two runs, six games

Ever since the Pirates called up Delay from Triple-A, he has performed well on both sides of the ball. That continued this week with a strong stretch at the plate which was needed for the Pirates who haven’t received much consistency from their backstops since the Roberto Perez injury.

Delay picked up hits in five of his six games played and now carries a .783 OPS through his first 12 career games.

Second Star: Jake Marisnick – .400/.444/.800 10 for 25, four doubles, two homeruns, five RBIs, four runs, seven games

Fresh off the injured list, Marisnick caught fire at the plate for the Pirates. He hit and hit for power as he picked up hits in six out of seven contests, including four multi-hit performances.

Welcome back, Jake! pic.twitter.com/fy56q3NhiG

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 12, 2022

Normally, that kind of production would be good enough for the number one spot, but Marisnick came up just short this week as there is a first-time first star.

First Star: Mitch Keller – 0.69 ERA, 13 innings, two runs/one earned run, 10 hits, two walks, 11 strikeouts, two starts

Every since adopting his new pitch, Keller has looked like an entirely different pitcher on the mound for the Bucs. Keller put together two really good starts on the week, including tossing a career-high seven innings in Miami. Keller is pitching with confidence on the mound, something that he has lacked in past seasons.

Mitch Keller, 93mph Sinker & 97mph Four Seam Fastball, Overlay pic.twitter.com/9HEg9LEMwL

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 12, 2022

Thanks to his big week, Keller dropped his season ERA from 5.21 to a much more respectable 4.55 mark. He also currently owns a healthy 3.87 FIP on the season.

It’s the All-Star break, so now Three Stars of the Week next Monday. The Pirates get back in action on Friday with a weekend series with the Marlins.