PITTSBURGH — A reunion broke out Saturday for the second game of a doubleheader at PNC Park. Good Mitch Keller showed up right on time, joining the Pirates’ suddenly resurgent and competent offense.
This version of the talented young right-hander also pitched well enough to help Pittsburgh sweep a doubleheader, tossing five scoreless innings en route to a 4-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
The Pirates won the first game of the twin bill, 7-0, thanks to six shutout innings from JT Brubaker and a more opportunistic offense.
“When you get two shutouts in a doubleheader,” manager Derek Shelton said with a smile, “it gives us a lot better chance to win them.”
Keller had some of his best stuff of the season thus far and allowed just two hits and a pair of walks while striking out six. Only once did a Colorado player reach second base — in Keller’s final inning of work.
While racking up a half-dozen punchouts, Keller three times went with his fastball, as well as two sliders and a curveball. The Pirates pitcher even picked up a hit of his own in the third inning.
It's no secret that this has been a tough year for Keller, who came into this game with an ERA of 7.41, the loser in his past three starts.
Meanwhile, over his last four outings, Keller had received just four runs of support, making it tough for any pitcher to get much done, let anyone one who has struggled this season to find consistency.
“I’m not even thinking about that,” Keller said of his bad-good-bad-good trajectory. “I just go into every game with the same mentality, trying to fill it up and attack the zone. Yeah, I’ve noticed. How can I not? But come game time, it’s go time.”
Although Keller was only at 78 pitches through five innings, Shelton elected to turn things over to his bullpen, relying on Sam Howard and David Bednar to close it out for the Pirates, who pitched shutouts in both games of a doubleheader for the first time since Oct. 3, 1976.
Keller avoided trouble for the first four innings but really had to buckle down after pinch-hitter Matt Adams stroked a double in the fifth, giving the Rockies a pair of runners in scoring position with two outs.
Next came some really good work, when Keller won an eight-pitch battle with Raimel Tapia and got the Rockies left fielder to bounce out to short on a 96-mph four-seamer that was well-placed, up in the zone.
The Pirates jumped ahead, 1-0, when Adam Frazier knocked the first pitch he saw from Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber, a fastball up, over the right-field fence for his second home run of the season.
It was the first leadoff of the season for Frazier, who now has 10 of those for his career, moving him into a tie with Al Martin for second place in franchise history. Barry Bonds (20) ranks first.
“It was big for the momentum, especially coming off of the game one win, to jump back on them,” Frazier said. “I think that helped a lot. As far as the history stuff, I don’t get too caught up in that. But it’s pretty cool.”
The Pirates doubled that lead two innings later, thanks to a defensive miscue from former Pirates catcher Elias Diaz. Keller led off with a single, aided by a smart Pirates challenge. Frazier followed with his second hit of the game, Kevin Newman reached on a fielder’s choice, and Bryan Reynolds walked.
But with the runners moving on a full-count pitch to Reynolds — and no need to throw if it’s a ball — Diaz did so anyway, chucking one into left field that allowed Frazier to score.
Ka’ai Tom, who returned from the 10-day injured list (left wrist contusion) prior to the doubleheader and served as the 27th man, homered in the fourth inning to push the Pirates in front, 3-0.
Same as Frazier, Tom went fastball hunting early against Gomber and got one he liked low in the zone, sending it on a line toward right-center.
“I actually had no idea it was going to go over,” Tom said. “I know I did hit it pretty good, and it had some backspin on it. But on the follow-through and you see the trajectory of the ball, I thought it was actually still pretty low. As I kept watching it, it just kind of kept going and going.”
It was impressive — and rare — to see two lefties hit home runs against Gomber. Prior to Saturday’s game, Gomber had allowed two extra-base hits all season to left-handed hitters, both doubles.
The improbability did not stop there, however.
With his reputation as a menace on the basepaths seemingly growing by the day, Jacob Stallings reached on a leadoff triple in the sixth. Perhaps before he could steal home, Will Craig drove in Stallings with a single.
“Just glad he made it,” Frazier said. “He was running out of gas and still breathing hard when he got in [the dugout].”
