Mitch Keller knocked around despite early lead; braves shut down Pirates’ bats

This article originally appeared on PGHBaseballNOW.com.

The Pirates spotted Mitch Keller an early 3-1 lead in Atlanta on Friday, June 5, but the struggling right-hander got knocked around for six runs in 4.2 innings, Pittsburgh (34-30) losing 6-3 as a result.

Scoring Plays

Bottom 2nd, 1-0 ATL: Free passes hurt the Pirates in the second as starting pitcher Mitch Keller walked one batter and hit another. A two-out hit from Ronald Acuña Jr. broke the ice.

Top 3rd, 3-1 PIT: Atlanta’s lead didn’t last long. Spencer Horwitz walked and Jared Triolo doubled to put a pair in scoring position. A Henry Davis sacrifice fly tied the game, Nick Gonzales legged out an infield single to plate Triolo and, after a walk and a sacrifice fly put Gonzales 90 feet away, Marcell Ozuna singled him home.

Bottom 3rd, 3-3: Once again, walks killed Keller. This time Ozzie Albies got on board, Mauricio Dubón fouling off a pair of pitches before crushing a 78 mile per hour curveball 405 feet to left.

Bottom 5th, 6-3 ATL: The Braves’ decisive rally came with a pair of singles to start the home half of the fifth. Dubón doubled home a run, a sacrifice fly added another, and an Austin Riley two-bagger set up the 6-3 final.

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