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39 articles
PIT • Pitcher • #23
5 days ago
Keller walked James Wood and Luis García Jr. to start the first and then gave up three straight hits. It could have been a true disaster, but with three runs in, Keller picked Daylen Lile off second base and then got a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play to end the inning. Still, things only got so much better afterwards, and it took him 90 pitches to get just 12 outs. His ERA jumped from 1.00 to 2.86, and it figures to keep rising from there. He’ll face the Rays on Sunday.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
11 days ago
Keller threw 73 percent first pitch strikes and also registered a 29 percent whiff rate. He went sweeper-heavy in this one, throwing 31 percent sweepers and registering a 40 percent whiff rate on it. Keller’s four-seamer has a bit more vertical movement on it this year, and his velocity increased a bit as the game went on. He’s unlikely to keep pitching as well as he has been, but he seems likely to keep it going next week against the Nationals.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
16 days ago
Keller is on the board with his first win in eight starts dating back to August. He allowed six hits and walked four today, but he did a much better job of spreading things around than Orioles starter Kyle Bradish did. As a result, the Pirates won 5-4 despite getting outhit 9-6 and outhomered 1-0. Keller will face the Padres next week.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
22 days ago
Keller was outstanding on Saturday, holding the Mets scoreless over six frames. He scattered three hits with no walks on an efficient 77 pitches while striking out three batters. Keller would get saddled with a tough-luck no-decision as the Pirates failed to get him any run support. The 29-year-old right-hander draws another tough matchup against the Orioles in Pittsburgh on Friday.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
28 days ago
Although he generated just four whiffs on 33 swings, Keller was able to strike out five today. He ends the spring with a 4.80 ERA and a 20/8 K/BB in 15 innings. He’s slated to face the Mets in the Pirates’ second game of the season on Saturday, but he doesn’t come recommended in mixed leagues.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
about 1 month ago
Keller also walked four and struck out six while throwing just 58 percent of his pitches for strikes, but registering a 39 percent whiff rate. Keller’s best pitch on the day was his sweeper, which he threw for strikes and had a 50 percent whiff rate on, but he really struggled to command his fastballs. His four-seamer was also down over one mph from where we saw it last season. Given Keller’s inconsistencies over the years and the young arms emerging in Pittsburgh, it’s hard to feel comfortable drafting Keller in most fantasy formats.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
about 1 month ago
It was the typical for Keller -- his fastball hit 95, he threw six different pitches, and he allowed four hard-hit balls, one of which was a homer. He’ll remain a streaming consideration in 12- and 14-team leagues in the right matchups in 2026.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
about 2 months ago
Keller got three of the four strikeouts with his sweeper, though he also gave up doubles both times that pitch was put into play. He’s yet to allow a run in 4 1/3 innings this spring and is now up to six strikeouts.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
about 2 months ago
Keller’s velocity was pretty much at his 2025 norms, and he went without allowing a hard-hit ball today. He’s been pretty much written off as a mixed-league starter at this point, and there are some good reasons for that. Still, his ballpark is favorable and he’s due some more offensive support this year; if he could get his strikeout rate back up, he wouldn’t be hopeless.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
7 months ago
Keller’s walk rate had come down of late, but then he set a season high tonight. He ends the season 6-15 with a 4.19 ERA and a 150/51 K/BB in 176 1/3 innings. The win-loss record is hardly all his fault, and from an ERA standpoint, he’s been very consistent the last four years. Still, his stock is down with his strikeout rate dropping to 20 percent, and that his ERAs have been satisfactory is partly a product of his home ballpark suppressing home runs.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
7 months ago
The runs scored on homers from Nick Kurtz and Lawrence Butler. Keller has a 4.22 ERA virtually identical to his marks from the previous two years (4.21 and 4.25). Still, there’s less reason than ever for optimism here, given that his strikeout rate has gone from 25.5% in 2023 to 21.5% last year to 19.7% this year. He’ll likely finish up with a start in Atlanta.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
7 months ago
Keller was cruising right along until the sixth inning when Brady House took him deep, CJ Abrams hit a single, and James Wood crushed a 115 mph RBI double. Three left-handed hitters were due up after Wood, so Keller was pulled for a lefty after throwing just 62 pitches. Until that point, there basically wasn’t a moment of stress for him, so it was disappointing to not have him even qualify for a quality start after being quite efficient early. He’s scheduled to face the Cubs at home next time out.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
7 months ago
Keller held the Brewers scoreless through three innings before giving up a two-run homer to Jake Bauers in the fourth. He’d pitch into the seventh without allowing another run, leaving with one out at 92 pitches with four strikeouts. The 29-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 4.16 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and a 136/44 K/BB ratio across 162 1/3 innings.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
8 months ago
The runs all came in the fifth after a Nick Gonzales error opened the inning. Jarren Duran’s inside-the-park homer on a liner to right-center drove in the final three runs. Keller had good velocity today, and he finished with seven strikeouts and one walk. If not for the error, this might have ended up as one of his better performances this season. As is, he fell to 6-13, though his ERA dropped to 4.21. He’ll face the Brewers next.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
8 months ago
Keller scattered just three hits and one walk on the night. He was staked to an early 7-0 advantage, and he just needed to keep the train on the tracks to walk away with a victory. He served up a two-run homer to Nolan Gorman in the fourth inning and allowed another run on an RBI ground out by Willson Contreras in the sixth. Keller generated a whopping 18 swings and misses on 93 pitches in the contest — seven on his fastball — while posting a strong CSW of 34 percent. Now 6-12 on the season, he’ll carry a 4.35 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and a 125/43 K/BB ratio (151 innings) into a tough matchup against the Dodgers on Tuesday.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
8 months ago
Keller surrendered six runs in four innings against the Brewers six days ago, so his ERA has jumped from 3.86 to 4.34 in the last week. That’s the difference between a decent season and another mediocre one from a pitcher with a career 93 ERA+. He’ll face the Cardinals next.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
8 months ago
Keller walked two and struck out five while posting a 21 percent whiff rate and 29 percent CSW. The 29-year-old was hit hard most of the day with a 92.6 mph average exit velocity allowed on balls in play. He threw both his fastball variations in the zone but failed to get many chases on his secondary pitches. He’ll now carry a 4.13 ERA into a tough start against the Blue Jays next week. We would not stream him there.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
8 months ago
Keller didn’t have his best stuff nor his best command in this one, but fought hard to limit the damage done against him. He benefited from a bases loaded double play, a runner being thrown out at home, and a handful of mishits on hanging sweepers to nearly drag his way to a quality start he would not have deserved. He’s scheduled to face the Brewers in Milwaukee next time out.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
9 months ago
Keller allowed one run over five innings before giving up consecutive homers to Mickey Moniak, Hunter Goodman and Jordan Beck in the sixth (or as the Rockies’ social media team put it, back-to-back-to-Beck). It’s just the third time in his career that Keller has given up three homers in a start. Still, it’s really not hard to see why the Pirates didn’t get any strong offers for him prior to the deadline. He’s 5-10 with a 3.89 ERA and an 18.7% strikeout rate that’s far lower than his marks from 2023 (25.5%) and 2025 (21.5%). He’ll face the Reds next.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
9 months ago
Hiles acknowledges that the situation appeared different a couple of weeks ago, but the “Pirates are comfortable with hanging onto Keller unless a steep return is offered.” This could simply be posturing by the Pirates front office, but Keller is also under control for another three years, so there doesn’t have to be a rush to trade him if the team believes they can contend with Keller in the coming seasons.
Source: Post Gazette
PIT • Pitcher • #23
9 months ago
Passan notes that “With Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer headed to free agency after this season and Kevin Gausman following 2026, getting an under-control starter is a priority” for Toronto. Keller has three years and around $55 million remaining on his deal after this season, so he could not only bolster the Jays’ rotation for this season but also give them insurance heading into 2026.
Source: ESPN.com
PIT • Pitcher • #23
9 months ago
Keller racked up five strikeouts on the evening while issuing three free passes. The only blemish on his day came on a three-run blast off the bat of Jake Rogers in the fifth inning. Aside from that, he was terrific. The 29-year-old right-hander generated 10 swings and misses on 89 pitches on the night — five of them on his fastball — while registering a CSW of 22 percent. He’ll look to keep the good times rolling as he brings a 3.53 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and a 97/30 K/BB ratio (125 innings) into Monday’s matchup against the Giants in San Francisco.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
9 months ago
The 29-year-old right-hander had a solid first half for the Bucs, registering a 3.48 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 92/27 K/BB ratio across 119 innings through his first 20 starts. He’s signed through the 2028 season on what looks to be a bargain five-year, $77 million contract though, so it’s going to take a significant offer for the Bombers to be able to pry Keller away from the Pirates. Hiles notes that the Cubs and Mets are also interested in acquiring Keller.
Source: Noah Hiles
PIT • Pitcher • #23
9 months ago
Keller gave up four hits, walked none and struck out three. The 29-year-old right-hander hasn’t allowed more than two runs in a start since June 10, spanning six starts. Keller could be one of the more highly-coveted starters available at the trade deadline. He’ll take a 3.48 ERA and 92/27 K/BB ratio in 119 innings into the All-Star break.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
9 months ago
At least he avoided the loss. Keller is 0-for-10 with four no-decisions when giving up more than one run this season. It’s been exactly one year since his last win while allowing more than one run; he allowed two runs over eight innings in an 8-2 defeat of the Mets on July 8, 2024. The Pirates have Thursday off, so unless something changes in the rotation, Keller’s next outing will probably come in the first game after the break.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
10 months ago
Keller’s name has come up in trade rumors repeatedly in recent weeks, especially linked to the Chicago Cubs, so this was a nice audition for him. He didn’t miss many bats with just an 18 percent whiff rate, but he had a 25 percent CSW on the back of strong command of his four-seam, sinker, and slider. The average exit velocity on balls in play off Keller was almost 93 mph, so this feels like a game where he got a little bit lucky. He’ll take a 3.64 ERA into a start against the Royals next week.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
10 months ago
Despite plenty of hard contact by the Mets, Keller did well to keep them off the board. Of their 12 hard-hit balls, the only one that produced a run was a solo home run from Juan Soto. Keller’s lineup spotted him a four-run lead after the second inning and he pitched like it, leaning on his fastball and seemingly not afraid to leave pitches over the heart of the plate to let the Mets put it in play. It was a fine start, but we’d have hoped to at least get a quality start as he was pitching with such a comfortable lead. He’s lined up to face the Cardinals at home next time out.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
10 months ago
Keller is an incredible 0-8 while giving up two or three runs this season and 1-10 with a 4.02 ERA overall. One wonders if he has any regrets about his commitment to the Pirates; if he didn’t do an extension through 2028, Keller would have been eligible for free agency for the first time this winter, and while he probably wouldn’t have broken the bank, he could have spent the rest of his prime pitching for a team trying to win. Perhaps a team like the Mets, who he’ll be facing next time out.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
10 months ago
Keller struck out three opposing hitters on the day while issuing a pair of free passes. All of the scoring done against him came in the opening frame as Seiya Suzuki drove in a run with a ground out and Dansby Swanson added a two-out RBI single. The 29-year-old hurler generated nine swings and misses on 88 pitches on the day, registering a CSW of 24 percent. He’ll look to get back in the win column as he brings a 1-9 record, 4.08 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and a 68/22 K/BB ratio (88 1/3 innings) into Saturday’s matchup against the Rangers.
PIT • Pitcher • #23
10 months ago
Obviously, there’s a lot more focus on how unlucky Paul Skenes has been to be 4-6 with a 1.88 ERA, but it’s equally ridiculous that Keller is 1-9 with a 4.15 ERA. He’s given the Pirates quality starts 10 times in 14 tries and gone 0-7 in the nine starts in which he’s allowed two or three runs. He’ll take on the Cubs this weekend.