Keller goes 7 strong vs. division foe: 'He does what he needs to do'

PITTSBURGH -- Mitch Keller wanted the ball for this one.

Keller’s last start of the first half of the season was a deviation from the norm for him, as he lasted only three innings and snapped a streak of 59 straight starts with at least five innings pitched. His last two turns against the Cardinals were not his sharpest either, taking two losses while allowing nine earned runs.

Keller didn’t pitch in the first series out of the All-Star break because manager Derek Shelton wanted to give him some time to rest after a heavy first-half workload. The decision to push the rotation’s leader to the start of a pivotal Cardinals series was the right one, as Keller spun seven innings of one-run ball before Nick Gonzales drove in the winning run in the eighth to beat their National League Central foe at PNC Park on Monday, 2-1.

“Huge team win, especially against the Cardinals,” Keller said. “Every win's great, but especially against a division rival. These are games we need to win.”

Keller needed a diving stop and toss to first by Rowdy Tellez to rob Brendan Donovan of a hit and strand a pair of runners in the fifth inning, but for most of the night, he kept the Cardinals off-balance and off the barrel. Prior to that Donovan at-bat, Keller was hit in the hand by a comebacker by Alec Burleson, which required a trip out to the mound from Shelton and assistant athletic trainer Tony Leo. Keller would end up throwing each of his six pitches once as a warm-up offering and stayed in the game.

“Probably will be sore tomorrow, but who cares?” Keller said.

All six of those pitches came into play Monday, but the four-seamer gave the Cardinals trouble in particular. They hit just 2-for-9 against it with a pair of singles and 10 called strikes. Keller’s team needed it, since Cardinals starter Andre Pallante was able to dance out of trouble most of the night to toss six innings of one-run ball.

But in the eighth, Bryan Reynolds singled off reliever John King, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Gonzales’ chopper through the right side of the infield to put the Pirates ahead. Gonzales has had a knack for coming through in those big spots, leading the team with eight game-winning RBIs, including a walk-off knock to kick off this homestand Friday against the Phillies.

Without Keller, though, it likely wouldn’t have been enough.

"I have all the confidence in the world in him,” Gonzales said. “Every time he comes out here he's consistent, he does what he needs to do. He's just a pro."

“The game in Chicago was a blip,” Shelton said of Keller’s first-half finale. “Seven innings strong today, especially after getting hit in the hand in the sixth, and grinded through it. There were times he didn’t have his best stuff. I just think it shows that he has multiple weapons to be able to get people out. He made one bad pitch and the ball hit the foul pole, but overall an outstanding outing for him.”

It came at a pivotal time, too. It’s probably a step too far to say that a series in July is pivotal, but the NL Wild Card picture is incredibly crowded, with five teams within one game of each other for the last two playoff spots. That includes the Cardinals and the Pirates, the latter of whom now trails by just one game for second place in the NL Central.

The goal for this clubhouse -- and Keller in particular -- has always been to make the playoffs. Games like Monday boost those odds, even if it’s a bit too soon for him to be watching the standings.

"Definitely not trying to look into that,” Keller said. “We notice where we're at, but we're just trying to play good baseball and keep going. As soon as you get caught up in all of the where you're at in the standings -- we still have what, 60, I don't know how many, but we've got plenty of games left. Just worry about today and try to win today."