Mitch Keller threw seven-plus shutout innings to help the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-0 win against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday evening in the second game of their three-game series in Arlington, Texas.
Keller (11-7) allowed three hits, struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter.
Keller had lost his previous two starts, allowing a combined 15 runs over nine innings.
Oneil Cruz had two hits and an RBI and Bryan De La Cruz had two RBIs for the Pirates, who had lost two in a row.
Texas starter Cody Bradford (4-1) allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings. The left-hander matched his career high with eight strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter.
Neither team had a baserunner until Isiah Kiner-Falefa rolled a single through the left side to lead off the fourth for Pittsburgh. Bradford struck out the next two batters before Connor Joe hit a line drive down the right field line that bounced off a railing that separated the field from the stands, resulting in a ground-rule double that kept Kiner-Falefa at third.
De La Cruz came through with a key two-out base hit, however, sending a line drive to left-center that short-hopped the glove of center fielder Leody Taveras, allowing both runners to score for a 2-0 lead.
Cruz then lifted a fly ball that carried over the head of right fielder Adolis Garcia and went off the wall for a triple, scoring De La Cruz from first for a 3-0 lead.
The Rangers got their first base hit when Josh Smith lined a single to left-center with two outs in the fourth, but Keller struck out Garcia on three pitches to end the inning.
After retiring the side in order in the fifth, Keller pitched around a leadoff single by Carson Kelly in the sixth, then retired the side in order again in the seventh.
Keller came out for the eighth after throwing 95 pitches and gave up a leadoff single to Josh Jung, prompting Pirates manager Derek Shelton to summon veteran reliever Aroldis Chapman, who quickly got Jonah Heim to roll into a double play.
Pittsburgh tacked on a run in the ninth when Rowdy Tellez delivered a pinch-hit double and then scored on a two-out single by Jared Triolo to make it 4-0.
–Field Level Media
