Mitch Keller's Regression a Big Issue for Pirates
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have relied on Mitch Keller in the past to take on a heavy innings workload and pitch efficently during longer outings.
Keller hasn't done that recently and his showing in the 8-6 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the series finale at PNC Park on June 11 was another example of that.
He threw 98 pitches over just four innings, giving up seven hits, four walks, a solo home run and posting three strikeouts in his short start vs. the Dodgers.
It was another tough outing for Keller, whose recent decline is a big concern for the Pirates near the midway point of 2026.
Keller's Struggles Over the Past Month
A bad start against the Dodgers, the two-time reigning World Series Champions, isn't something that would serve as a big worry, it's something that Keller has done for most of the past month.
He's given up 29 earned runs over the past 30 innings over his last six starts, good for an 8.70 ERA, while allowing at least four earned runs in five of those starts and six earned runs in three of those starts.
Keller had a great start to 2026, with a 4-1 record in his first eight starts, a 2.87 ERA over 47.0 innings pitched, with six quality starts (at least six innings pitched, three earned runs or less).
Stat | First Eight Starts | Last Six Starts |
|---|---|---|
Record | 4-1 | 1-3 |
ERA (Innings Pitched) | 2.87 (47.0) | 8.70 (30.0) |
Hits | 35 | 39 |
Runs | 15 | 29 |
Strikeouts/Walks | 35/14 | 23/13 |
His downturn began on May 13, when he faced the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park. He actually threw four perfect innings to start out, but then gave up six earned runs in the fifth inning in the 10-4 defeat.
Keller has only had one quality start since then, when he allowed one earned run over six innings vs. the Toronto Blue Jays in a 4-1 win at Rogers Centre on May 24.
He now has a 5.14 ERA, which is fifth-highest amongst MLB qualified pitchers. He also has the 17th-highest WHIP (1.31) and tied for the 17th-highest batting average allowed (.252).
Keller was tough on himself after the loss to the Dodgers and said that if he knew what the problem was, he would've fixed it by now.
"Obviously, not executing," Keller said on his recent struggles. "Walking people's not helping me. Just got to be better. Got to fill it up more, attack the hitters and just execute when I've got them in two strikes."
Pirates Have Full Faith in Keller
The Pirates need Keller at his best in a massively important season, where they have playoff aspirations and are 35-34 through 69 games.
Keller is the second-longest tenured member of the Pirates, just behind outfielder Bryan Reynolds, and hasn't seen any serious winning since making his MLB debut in 2019.
He's at his best when he's inducing weak contact, getting ahead in the count and forcing hitters into bad decisions, leading to long outings.
Keller getting back to that type of pitching would come as a huge benefit for a Pirates team that doesn't have a reliable bullpen, nor has the experience in the rotation, with young arms in Braxton Ashcraft, Paul Skenes and Bubba Chandler, plus Jared Jones coming back after missing all of 2025 following internal brace surgery.
That starting rotation all coming together with their strengths could serve as the main reason the Pirates end their decade-long postseason absence.
"Yeah, absolutely. I think everybody down here wants me to succeed," Keller said on his support system. "I put my trust in them, going to get back to work and we're going to figure this out, for sure."
Pirates manager Don Kelly has seen Keller grow into the veteran he is today and seen him at his best, earning an All-Star nod in 2023, and also with his poorer runs of form, like the one he is on now.
Kelly sees Keller bouncing back from this and it's up to him and the staff to figure out how to get him back to that pitcher that he was earlier in the year.
"He has done it. He’s been a really good pitcher for us," Kelly said. "He’s gonna get out of this. We need to find a way. Obviously a tough lineup over there with the Dodgers. Really deep. They worked the pitch count way up. Almost 100 in four innings. We have to figure something out to help him."
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.