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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Makes adjustment to changeup
Rotowire
Keller adjusted the grip on his changeup during the offseason, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Keller throws a wide range of pitches and consistently tinkers with his offerings, though his changeup has never been a major part of his arsenal. It's unclear exactly how he changed the pitch, but he threw it six times in his spring debut Sunday against the Rays -- all against lefties. Keller reported feeling comfortable with the pitch, per Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, so it could be a more prominent part of Keller's game plan in 2026.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: First spring start scheduled
Rotowire
Keller will make his Grapefruit League debut Sunday against the Rays, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Keller has turned into a consistent starter for the Pirates, though he endured a tough second half of 2025 by posting a 5.56 ERA and 1.50 WHIP across 57.1 innings. He's looking to be more consistent in 2026, but he's posted an ERA in the low 4.00s with a WHIP in the mid 1.20s in each of the last three seasons. Keller will remain a stalwart in the rotation in 2026 and could serve as the No. 2 starter behind Paul Skenes.
Keller didn't factor into the decision Friday against Atlanta, allowing one run on three hits and five walks in 3.2 innings. He struck out six.
Keller lacked control in his last start of the campaign, issuing his most walks of the year in his shortest outing since Aug. 19. In fact, the right-hander lent more free passes Friday than he did in his prior five appearances combined. Keller will be entering the third season of his five-year contract with the Pirates in 2026, and he remained a capable -- if unspectacular -- major-league starter in 2025. Over 176.1 innings, he posted a 4.19 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 150:51 K:BB.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Serves up two homers in loss
Rotowire
Keller (6-15) allowed four earned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out four across five innings to take the loss Friday against the A's.
Keller had a smooth start to the outing, as he retired the first nine batters he faced. However, he allowed a solo home run in the fourth inning, followed by a three-run shot a frame later to ruin his day. Keller has now allowed at least one home run in six straight starts and has a 5.87 ERA paired with a 1.45 WHIP across 53.2 innings since the All-Star break.
Keller did not factor into the decision Friday, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk over 5.1 innings in a 6-5 loss against Washington. He struck out four.
The right-hander appeared on his way to his seventh victory of the season with a 3-0 lead through five frames, but he was charged with a couple runs on three hits in the sixth before the Pittsburgh bullpen faltered an inning later. Keller entered the All-Star break with a 3.48 ERA across 119 innings, but he has a 5.73 ERA in 10 starts since the midseason break.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Out-dueled by Woodruff
Rotowire
Keller (6-14) took the loss Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits over 6.1 innings as the Pirates were downed 4-1 by the Brewers. He struck out four without walking a batter.
It was arguably Keller's best performance since the All-Star break, with a two-run homer by Jake Bauers in the fourth inning being the only blemish on his line, but the right-hander had no margin for error with Brandon Woodruff firing goose eggs over six innings for Milwaukee. The quality start was Keller's 17th of the season, one off his career high, but only two of them have come in seven outings since the beginning of August -- a stretch in which he's stumbled to a 5.86 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 36:11 K:BB through 35.1 innings. He'll try to build on this effort in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend against the Nationals.
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Pirates' Mitch Keller: Falls to Boston
Rotowire
Keller (6-13) took the loss Sunday against the Red Sox, allowing four runs (none earned) on four hits and a walk across five innings. He struck out seven.
After blanking the Red Sox through four innings, Keller fell victim to some poor defense behind him in the fifth -- Romy Gonzalez reached via error to start the frame before Jarren Duran legged out a three-run, inside-the-park home run with two outs. While he wasn't charged with an earned run Sunday, Keller has been shaky of late, posting a 7.59 ERA across seven starts coming into the day. Overall, the right-hander sports a 4.21 ERA with a 1.28 WHIP and 132:44 K:BB across 28 starts (156 innings) this season.
Keller (6-12) earned the win over the Cardinals on Tuesday, allowing three runs on three hits and one walk while striking out nine in six innings.
Keller was nearly through four scoreless frames, but Nolan Gorman took him deep for a two-run shot with two outs to get the Cardinals on the board. Keller racked up a season-high nine strikeouts and recorded his first quality start since July 22. He's now up to 16 quality starts this season, which is tied for 10th in MLB. Keller will look to build on his positive outing when he faces the Dodgers in a home start next week.
Keller (5-12) took the loss Tuesday against the Blue Jays, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four in 3.1 innings.
Keller struggled out of the gates, allowing three runs in the opening frame while needing 33 pitches to complete the inning. George Springer then punished him in the second with a two-run blast to put the Pirates in a quick 5-0 hole. In six starts since the All-Star break, Keller owns an 8.31 ERA and 2.08 WHIP and has completed six frames only once. He lines up for a road start against the Cardinals to begin next week.
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