Mitch Keller delivered over seven innings of shutout pitching to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-0 victory over the Texas Rangers in the second game of their series on Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas. Keller (11-7) surrendered just three hits, struck out nine, and did not issue any walks.
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This strong performance comes after Keller had struggled in his previous two starts, giving up a total of 15 runs in nine innings. For the Pirates, Oneil Cruz contributed with two hits and an RBI, while Bryan De La Cruz added two RBIs. This win was especially notable as the Pirates had been on a two-game losing streak before this game.
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 managed a baserunner until Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled through the left side to start the fourth inning for Pittsburgh. Bradford then struck out the next two batters, but Connor Joe followed with a line drive down the right-field line that hit a railing separating the field from the stands, resulting in a ground-rule double that kept Kiner-Falefa on third base.
Bryan De La Cruz then delivered a crucial two-out hit, smacking a line drive that bounced off the glove of center fielder Leody Taveras, allowing both runners to score and give the Pirates a 2-0 lead.
Cruz then hit a fly ball that carried over right fielder Adolis Garcia’s head and off the wall, allowing De La Cruz to score from first base and extend the Pirates’ lead to 3-0.
The Rangers recorded their first 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.
Keller retired the side in order in the fifth and managed to work around a leadoff single by Carson Kelly in the sixth, then again retired the side in order in the seventh.
After throwing 95 pitches, Keller took the mound for the eighth inning but allowed a leadoff single to Josh Jung. Manager Derek Shelton then brought in veteran reliever Aroldis Chapman, who promptly induced a double play from Jonah Heim.
The Pirates added another run in the ninth when Rowdy Tellez hit a pinch-hit double and later scored on a two-out single by Jared Triolo, making the final score 4-0.
