NEW YORK — When Pirates players dispersed for the All-Star break 10 days ago, there was arguably no bigger question mark than Mitch Keller.
The right-hander had lasted just three innings in his previous start. Over his last 11, Keller had a 7.03 ERA while ceding 11 home runs in 56 1/3 innings (compared to two over his first 47 frames).
While one strong start isn’t enough to announce that this version of Keller has fully returned, he did take several important steps forward during the Pirates’ 5-3, 10-inning victory in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.
Keller spun five scoreless innings, allowing three hits — all singles — with two walks and six strikeouts. Facing a lineup stacked with lefties, Keller generated 15 whiffs and passed several important tests.
“I’m trending in the right direction,” Keller said. “I don’t think I have it all figured out yet but a lot of positives, for sure.”
Following his last start on July 11, Keller said he planned to take a deep dive over the break, specifically with his mechanics and pitch usage.
Keller’s delivery didn’t look drastically different, but he did essentially shelve the sweeper that netted a .458 slugging percentage against thanks to six home runs and poor two-strike execution.
Instead, Keller used his four-seam fastball to get ahead and finished four of his six punchouts with curveballs, including each of the first four before pivoting over the back half of his outing.
“He looked more aggressive,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “He finished pitches. The breaking ball had bite. He threw strikes. I thought he looked sharp.”
Keller retired the side in the first and worked around a one-out single in the second. By the time Bryan Reynolds dove to make an incredible catch on first baseman Ben Rice in the third, he had recorded nine outs on 36 pitches, inducing eight whiffs.
In other words, he looked like the Keller of the past three first halves, not the guy who’s struggled down the stretch.
Could this be the season Keller flips those fortunes?
The Pirates (52-49) must hope so. They can’t afford to have Keller endure the issues he did in the first half:
• Five of the 13 homers Keller has allowed have come with two strikes.
• Prior to Wednesday, lefties were hitting .283 against Keller with an .843 OPS compared to .207 and .577 for righties.
• With runners in scoring position, Keller was allowing a .347 batting average against and a .970 OPS.
That’s why the context of this start should matter, at least a little.
The Yankees started eight lefties and had just three hard-hit balls (exit velocity of 95 mph or greater). None resulted in hits.
A crucial moment came in the fourth inning, when Keller walked designated hitter Spencer Jones and left fielder Cody Bellinger to start. That brought a visit from pitching coach Bill Murphy. In previous outings, Keller might’ve unraveled. But this time, he rose to the occasion.
Keller got right fielder Jasson Domínguez to fly out before fanning Jazz Chisholm Jr. and shortstop José Caballero, the first of those on a nasty sweeper that froze the Yankees second baseman.
“It felt good,” Keller said. “Pitches felt a lot more dialed in. Still a little bit of work to do but definitely overall a lot better.”
It can’t be repeated enough: The Pirates need this version of Keller for the second half. His outing created the perfect lane for Carmen Mlodzinski, though a misplaced, 3-1 cutter resulted in a three-run homer.
We’ve talked plenty about the bullpen, and that remains a concern. But it becomes irrelevant if starters like Keller can’t give the Pirates a chance.
“We’re trying to get Mitch back on track,” Kelly said. “We’ve talked about the second half and just getting him going. He gave us five strong innings.”
In the process, Keller looked more like the guy who started the season 4-1 with a 2.87 ERA over his first eight starts, the pitcher who pounded the zone and didn’t miss spots at crucial times. Also the one who signed a five-year, $77 million extension prior to the 2024 season and serves as the veteran of this rotation.
Keller bent some against the Yankees, but he importantly didn’t break.
In the fifth, Keller allowed back-to-back singles to catcher Austin Wells and center fielder Trent Grisham, again a situation that might’ve caused significant problems before the break.
With Rice (30 home runs, second in AL) at the plate, Keller won a seven-pitch battle with a strikeout looking on a sinker, then got Jones to fly out to center on a well-placed, two-strike fastball.
The entire afternoon had a familiar feel.
“He looked great,” Nick Gonzales said. “That’s Mitch Keller. He’s done that for years, and I’m proud of him for grinding through stuff. He’s always there, every start and every five days.”
Now, the challenge becomes doing it again and again.
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.