Pirates Reveal Starting Pitchers for Diamondbacks Series
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates need great performances from their starting pitchers this season, especially in their next series.
The Pirates host the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park for a mid-week series, featuring two teams fighting for a spot in the National League Wild Card race.
Pittsburgh will have Mitch Keller take the mound in the series opener on July 27, Bubba Chandler start the second game on July 28 and then Jared Jones will close out the series on July 29.
Arizona will have two right-handed pitchers in the first two games, with Merrill Kelly for the series opener and Brandon Pfaadt in the second game, then left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez in the series finale.
Can Mitch Keller Have Strong Second Half?
It was a rough ending for Mitch Keller in the first half of 2026, posting a 2-6 record in his last 11 starts and a 7.03 ERA, with 44 earned runs over 56.1 innings pitched.
Keller's last start before the All-Star break was also poor, giving up a home run and three runs over just three innings of work in a 10-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park on July 9.
He had 13 days between that start and his next start, the first game of the doubleheader vs. the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 22.
Keller showed exactly what the Pirates hoped for him in this start, throwing five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and two walks and posting six strikeouts over 75 pitches.
He threw seven different pitches and got a 43% whiff rate, including four strikeouts on his curveball, while also attacking an almost entirely left-handed batting lineup and handling them with ease.
The Pirates want Keller to go longer in future outings, but this was a great start for him just to get back to what he does best.
Keller has historically had a worse second half to a season compared to his first half, but this may be the season where he bucks that trend.
He did excel in his first eight starts, with a 4-1 record, a 2.87 ERA and five quality starts (at least six innings pitched and less than three earned runs allowed), and if he can find his form he had vs. the Yankees against the Diamondbacks, he may be able to recreate that stretch going deep into September.
Bubba Chandler Has Best Outing of Career
The Pirates have had patience with Chandler this season, his first full season in the major league rotation, and it looks like it's paying off.
Chandler was incredible vs. the Yankees in the second game of the doubleheader, throwing 6.1 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and a walk, with five strikeouts over 84 pitches.
The Pirates could have kept Chandler in longer, as he hadn't made a start since July 11, but they decided to take him out and left-handed relief pitcher Brandon Eisert came in and gave up two runs in the eventual 2-0 loss.
Chandler coming out was a contentious moment for fans, who wanted to see him go longer, which shows that he's been improving in his most recent outings.
It's also showed in his past eight outings, with a 3.71 ERA over 43.2 innings pitched and 35 strikeouts to 18 walks and just two home runs allowed.
Chandler has an important role in this rotation as the lone rookie who is still adjusting to major league pitching, but he's getting better with almost every start and not letting a bad outing stop him from dominating in the next one.
A strong performance against Arizona in front of a raucous Pittsburgh crowd would go a long way for Chandler in becoming a dominant pitcher more consistently and also play a big role in getting the team towards postseason baseball.
Jared Jones Hitting Stride in July
There were some concerns about Jones after returning back from internal brace surgery, with some thinking he should go back to the bullpen.
Jones posted a 5.76 ERA over his first six starts through the end of June, with a .270 BAA and a 1.44 WHIP, giving up multiple runs in all but two of his starts.
He has bounced back in July and pitched brilliantly, posting a 1.29 ERA over four starts and 21.0 innings pitched, with 28 strikeouts to four walks, a .100 BAA and a 0.52 WHIP.
Jones dominated in his most recent start, throwing six scoreless innings vs. the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on July 24, allowing just two hits, a walk and a solo home run, with five strikeouts over 83 pitches.
The Pirates are still restricting Jones to about five innings and/or 80-85 pitches, as they don't want him to re-injure himself, but his recent outings are making that harder to do.
Jones will also make his first ever start against the Diamondbacks and look to close out the series the best way he could for the Pirates.
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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.