Keller's growing maturation aids another 'gritty performance'

TORONTO -- Mitch Keller has experienced his share of adversity throughout his major-league career. Following his debut in 2019, the former top pitching prospect went through stretches where he lacked consistency. He dealt with a 2021 demotion to Class AAA Indianapolis and even pitched briefly out of the Pirates' bullpen in 2022. 

Needless to say, Keller had to work his way from being a potential bust to an All-Star and a pitcher worthy of big money. With that has come a heightened sense of maturity that has allowed him to succeed in the toughest situations. 

Now a more mature, experienced leader, Keller has become the epitome of consistency, as evidenced in his current string of 43 consecutive starts of five-plus innings. It's the sixth-longest streak in franchise history and one that was extended in the Pirates' 8-1 victory over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre Saturday. 

Keller allowed one run on five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts in six innings to capture his seventh quality start of the season, tying him with Jared Jones for the most on the team. Keller wasn't at his best, however, as he struggled with his command through the first four innings and sat at 61 pitches through three. 

"Yeah, I mean that was a gritty performance by him," Derek Shelton said. "I thought the first three or four innings he really struggled with his command. Lot of credit to Mitch." 

Keller threw 72 of 106 pitches for strikes and was entrusted with pitching into the sixth, despite the occasional command issues. Shelton acknowledged that aforementioned maturation as the biggest element in Keller's ability to excel and stay composed in pressure situations. 

"We talked about the things that we've seen out of him the last three or four years. Two years ago, that start gets away from him," Shelton said. "Today, it doesn't. He stays under control, continues to make pitches, uses his defense, doesn't try to do too much. That's the sign of what good veteran pitchers do." 

Keller's take? 

"Yeah, 100%. I think in the past, if I didn't have my best stuff, I'd get discouraged about it or whatever," he said. "But at the end of the day, it's about making pitches, executing spots and getting a little lucky sometimes."

In regards to this latest outing in Toronto, Shelton and Keller both credited Yasmani Grandal for his role in the strong pitching performance, as the veteran worked to mix up the pitch selection to help Keller battle through the six innings. 

Keller said his sinker wasn't moving as much as it has in the past, so Grandal implemented a plan to throw more cutters and four-seam fastballs to right-handed hitters. Keller ended the outing with a balanced pitch mix of 29 sinkers, 27 fastballs, 23 cutters and 17 sliders. He also mixed in occasional sweepers and curveballs. 

"Yaz just called a great game of mixing in the cutter to righties and four-seam. I haven't really thrown too many cutters to righties this year, so I threw quite a bit today," Keller said. "Yaz was amazing back there. The way he calls a game, you feel comfortable with anything he puts down. It makes it really freeing out there, too."

While this game marked the first of a new month, Keller simply continued what he's managed to consistently do since the beginning of May. He went 4-0 with a 1.30 ERA -- the sixth-lowest in all of Major League Baseball -- last month and has now earned a winning decision in each of his last five starts, becoming the first Pirates pitcher to accomplish the feat since J.A. Happ in 2015. The last right-handed pitcher to do it in a Pirates uniform was Gerrit Cole, who won six consecutive starts earlier that year. 

Over those last five starts, Keller has sported a 1.34 ERA and opponents are hitting just .213 against him. He has allowed two or fewer runs in each of those outings, proving once again why the consistency he's brought to one of the top starting rotations in baseball is valued and is worth being proud of.

"Even coming up through the minor leagues, that was the thing. Starters go as deep as possible, that was the M.O. Three pitches or less to every batter, go as deep as you can into the game," said Keller, whose ERA dipped from 3.59 to 3.42 after his showing against the Jays. "I think that really helped me when I got to the big leagues and started seeing success. Like, 'OK, I can do this and be efficient.'"