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Veteran Pitcher Mitch Keller Stays with Pirates Amid Trade Rumors
3 Aug
Summary
- Mitch Keller, a veteran right-handed pitcher, remained with the Pittsburgh Pirates despite trade rumors.
- Rookie Bradley Blalock will start for the Colorado Rockies in the series finale.
- Rockies closer Seth Halvorsen left Saturday's game with an elbow injury, casting doubt on his availability for the rest of the season.
As the trade deadline passed on Thursday, veteran right-hander Mitch Keller remained with the Pittsburgh Pirates, despite being the subject of numerous trade rumors. Keller, who holds a 4-10 record and a 3.69 ERA this season, will now focus on the remainder of the year, starting with Sunday's series finale against the Colorado Rockies in Denver.
The Rockies will counter with rookie right-hander Bradley Blalock, who is coming off his first quality start of the season and best outing of the year. Blalock threw six shutout innings against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday, though the Rockies were unable to hold his 3-0 lead, eventually winning 8-6.
The Rockies' pitching staff, however, suffered a significant blow on Saturday when closer Seth Halvorsen left the game in the ninth inning with an injury to his pitching elbow. Interim manager Warren Schaeffer expressed concern, stating, "It don't look good."
Keller, despite his subpar record, has pitched better than his numbers indicate, with a 3.02 ERA over his past nine outings and three consecutive wins after losing 10 straight earlier in the season. He will face the Rockies for the fifth time in his career, holding a 2-1 record and a 0.39 ERA in those previous matchups.
The Pirates, who entered the weekend on a five-game winning streak, dropped their second straight game on Saturday, despite a strong start from Paul Skenes. They will look to Keller to salvage the final game of the series and prevent the Rockies from sweeping their first home series of the year.
