Erick Fedde and Mitch Keller had forgettable starts the last time each was on the mound.
They will have a chance to put those rough outings behind them when they oppose each other on Wednesday afternoon as Fedde’s St. Louis Cardinals and Keller’s Pirates play the decisive game of a three-game series in Pittsburgh.
The Cardinals evened the set and snapped a four-game losing streak on Tuesday night with a 5-3 victory as Pirates ace Paul Skenes allowed a career-high five runs.
St. Louis may need those bats to stay hot should Fedde’s struggles continue.
Fedde (1-1, 7.00 ERA) allowed six runs on five hits and four walks while striking out one over three innings on Friday in the Cardinals’ 13-9 loss to the Boston Red Sox. The 65-pitch outing was a stark contrast to his Fedde’s start, when the right-hander gave up one run on two hits and no walks over six innings in a 5-1 win against the Minnesota Twins on March 29.
“I mean, putting guys away would be nice, but strikeouts haven’t really been there right now, and that’s probably something that I’ve got to work on,” Fedde said after the poor start. “I’ve just got to put this one past me and get better.”
Fedde is 1-0 with a 2.81 ERA in three career games against the Pirates.
Keller (1-1, 7.45 ERA) also couldn’t follow up a quality start with more effectiveness in his latest outing. After tossing six strong innings of one-run ball on March 28 against the Miami Marlins, Keller lasted only 3 2/3 innings against the New York Yankees on Friday. He was tagged for seven runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out four in a 9-4 loss.
“I have to throw more strikes earlier in counts,” Keller said after that game. “That was the big thing. I was getting behind, then a couple walks, hit-by-pitches, a couple of broken-bat singles and ground balls up the middle. It’s just frustration because it wasn’t like I was getting hit around the yard.”
Keller is 2-3 with a 3.72 ERA in 13 starts vs. St. Louis.
St. Louis’ bats re-energized Tuesday after being held mostly in check Monday during an 8-4 loss. Victor Scott II’s two hits, including a key two-run triple off Skenes in the third inning, keyed that resurgence.
Scott, who boosted his season average to .297, is hoping for more consistency after a 2024 season in which he bounced back and forth between the minors and majors.
“A lot of the failures I took to heart, and I had to look at myself internally and say, ‘How can I get better? What are the things I need to work on? And how can I further my game?'” Scott said. “The product (everyone) saw in spring training and will see during the year is just a different player.”
The Pirates would like to see a different Jack Suwinski in the series finale. The outfielder batted leadoff for the second time this season on Tuesday, and he went 0-for-2, dropping his average to .130 (3-for-23) with no homers and one RBI.
“I think we just gotta get him to be more aggressive,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Continue to get him to be more aggressive and get his swing off. Because when he gets his swing off, he hits the ball hard.”
–Field Level Media
