CINCINNATI — The past two starts represented modest-yet-important progress for Mitch Keller.
What happened Sunday in Cincinnati was unquestionably a step in the wrong direction.
Keller recorded just six outs in the series finale at Great American Ball Park and allowed seven earned runs during a 10-2 Pirates loss. The outing was his shortest this season, while it matched his season-high for runs allowed (May 30 against Minnesota).
It also came after a two-start stretch where Keller limited opponents to two earned runs over 10 1/3 innings.
“Just not good command,” said Keller, whose ERA rose to 5.29 this season. “It was just kind of all over the place.”
Keller ceded two long home runs to first baseman Sal Stewart and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. He also walked four and saw five batted balls carry exit velocity of at least 101.3 mph.
A double and consecutive walks to center fielder Dane Myers and right fielder Noelvi Marte ended Keller’s day in the third. All three scored after Noah Murdock entered and gave up second baseman Matt McLain’s sacrifice fly and a two-run single to shortstop Elly De La Cruz.
The outing for Keller came at a lousy time, as the Pirates dropped three of four to Cincinnati. Overall, the Pirates have lost 10 of 16 since the All-Star break to fall to 56-57 on the season.
So, what must stop the slide?
In Keller’s mind, it’s starting pitching. Since July 17, Pirates starters have a 4.28 ERA, which ranks 23rd in MLB. They’re in the same place with a 1.37 WHIP.
Jared Jones has been excellent. Braxton Ashcraft looked like himself Saturday. Paul Skenes gave the Pirates seven innings of one-run ball in his first start back.
But overall … yeah, we’ll let Keller explain.
“We have to anchor the team a little bit better,” Keller said. “It’s just not acceptable for what we’re doing or what we’re capable of doing.”
The first of the two home runs he allowed came when Keller missed with a 1-2 sweeper to Stewart in the first, leaving it over the middle of the plate for a 420-foot blast that left Stewart’s bat at 104.8 mph.
After left fielder JJ Bleday singled, catcher Tyler Stephenson followed with a long double (102.6 mph) to center on an elevated sinker, giving the Reds a 2-0 lead. First baseman Nathaniel Lowe then lined a four-seamer to right at 101.3.
Early on, the trend for Keller was not getting the hard stuff down in the zone. The worst example came against the former Pirate Hayes, who crushed a 1-0 sinker that caught too much plate 429 feet at 106.9 mph over the fence in left-center.
“First couple starts coming out of the All-Star break, he was really good,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said of Keller. “[Sunday], just didn’t seem like he had the finish to the pitches. Command [was] maybe not where it needs to be for him. Just a tough outing.”
In the third, with Murdock on, De La Cruz laced the first pitch he saw 108.6 mph into right field to make it a 7-0 game.
The Pirates got one back in the fourth, on Bryan Reynolds’ single to center, but it mattered little.
After an extended delay for on-field work — more on that shortly — Lowe laced a double to center at 104.5 mph off Ron Marinaccio, increasing Cincinnati’s lead to 8-1 before Myers singled to left on an elevated sweeper.
Frustration boiled over, as the Reds resisted putting a tarp on the field during a steady rain, causing manager Don Kelly to animatedly state his case to crew chief Dan Bellino.
Kelly was ejected for the MLB-high fifth time this season, although he had a point.
With Esmerlyn Valdez at the plate, umpires paused the game mid-at-bat for roughly 25 minutes of field maintenance. Kelly thought the tarp should’ve been put on — and he’s right. Kelly argued that it was unsafe for both teams and was ultimately shown the door.
“We’re battling, man,” Kelly said. “We’re fighting and dealt with a lot of injuries, especially on the position player side.
‘”The field, you could see the puddles. To pull their guys off the field in the middle of an at-bat, I was frustrated by it.”
The Pirates struggled against Reds starter Chase Burns, who struck out nine over six strong innings. But given Keller’s fate, it didn’t matter much.
Keller started the season with a 2.85 ERA over his first seven starts. Since that time, he has 6.63 ERA in his past 15.
There was hope the break might’ve allowed him to fix his mechanics or refine his pitch mix. However, that progress was paused on a frustrating afternoon in Cincinnati.
The Pirates and Keller need to figure this out and rely on the starting pitching to carry them to a better series in Milwaukee.
“There’s a lot of season left,” Keller said. “You’re gonna have ups and downs. It seems like this down is coming at the wrong time for what we need or expect as a team.
“The best thing we can do is keep going. Stop looking at the past and see what we have in front of us. We have really good opportunities the rest of the way.”
Around the horn
Jared Triolo drove in Jacob Gonzalez (2 hits, double) with a single in the eighth. ... The Mets claimed Shawn Ross (designated for assignment July 27) off waivers. ... Trade acquisition Camilo Doval pitched the eighth and allowed one run: a solo homer to Stephenson.
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.