Mitch Keller, following two rough outings, bounced back to limit the Texas Rangers to just three singles over seven-plus innings as the Pittsburgh Pirates secured a 4-0 victory on Tuesday night.
Keller (11-7) matched his season high with nine strikeouts and issued no walks across 98 pitches. The Pirates, who had previously endured a 10-game losing streak, have now won four of their last six contests.
Keller departed after giving up a leadoff single to Josh Jung in the eighth inning. His other two hits allowed included a fourth-inning single by Josh Smith and a sixth-inning leadoff hit from Carson Kelly.
Prior to this outing, Keller had surrendered 15 runs over nine innings in his previous two starts, an 8-2 loss to San Diego and a 9-5 defeat to the Dodgers. His last win came back on July 8. “You just have to move on and shake it off,” Keller remarked. “The last two starts weren’t great, but once you put them behind you, it’s a fresh game with a new mentality.”
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged Keller’s dominance, saying, “We couldn’t get any runners on base to put pressure on him.” Aroldis Chapman and David Bednar closed out Pittsburgh’s eighth shutout of the season.
Cody Bradford (4-1) tied his career-best with eight strikeouts over seven innings, allowing five hits—four of which came in a fourth-inning burst that saw the Pirates score three runs. Pittsburgh snapped an eight-game road losing streak with the win, while Texas now faces the possibility of their eighth straight lost series.