Keller's 7-Inning Gem Lifts Pirates Over Rays

Mitch Keller's strong outing helped the Pirates take two of three from Tampa Bay.

Apr. 19, 2026 at 9:34pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A cubist, geometric illustration depicting a baseball pitcher's motion broken down into overlapping planes of navy blue, forest green, and burnt orange, conveying the dynamism and intensity of the game.Keller's masterful pitching performance lifts the Pirates to a crucial series win over the Rays.Today in Pittsburgh

Mitch Keller delivered a crucial 7-inning performance, allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits with 5 strikeouts, to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Pirates' offense provided key run support, including RBI hits from Nick Gonzales and Bryan Reynolds in the 5th inning and solo home runs from Spencer Horwitz and Nick Yorke.

Why it matters

The win was a much-needed bounce-back effort for the Pirates, who had used 6 relievers in a 13-inning marathon the previous day. Keller's strong outing helped save the bullpen and gave the offense a chance to produce.

The details

Keller was able to mix his pitches effectively, using more four-seam fastballs than usual to keep the Rays off balance. Pirates manager Don Kelly praised Keller's performance, calling it 'probably the biggest start of the year' given the state of the bullpen. The offense, which had struggled to get the 'big hit' in recent games, finally broke through with key hits from Gonzales, Reynolds, Horwitz and Yorke.

  • The Pirates used 6 relievers in a 13-inning game the day before.
  • Keller's 7-inning, 2-run outing came on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

The players

Mitch Keller

The Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher who delivered a crucial 7-inning, 2-run performance to lead the team to victory.

Don Kelly

The Pittsburgh Pirates manager who praised Keller's outing as 'probably the biggest start of the year' given the state of the bullpen.

Joey Bart

The Pittsburgh Pirates catcher who recognized the importance of Keller's strong start after the team's bullpen was taxed the previous day.

Bryan Reynolds

The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder who delivered an RBI hit in the 5th inning to give the team the lead.

Nick Gonzales

The Pittsburgh Pirates infielder who also had an RBI hit in the 5th inning to help the team's offense.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“'It was huge. Honestly, probably the biggest start of the year with where our bullpen was at. For him to be as strong as he was and get the W for the team, it was unbelievable. Just the way he attacked the zone and mixed up pitches, he did a great job.'”

— Don Kelly, Pittsburgh Pirates Manager

“'Huge, it's not something that I'm thinking about before the game, I'm just going to try and pitch my game and whatever happens, happens. I'm glad I could do that for us and our offense put us in a position where we didn't have to use any of our back-end bullpen guys.'”

— Mitch Keller

“'If you're paying attention, we know we used a lot of arms yesterday – and so did they. I think starting pitching was the key today; whoever's starter did better, the chances of that team were going to win. That was Mitch today. Giving us seven after just a dreadful day – unfortunately, coming out on the bottom of that one – but it shows a lot about the team for bouncing back. We busted it all through that game yesterday and brought some of that energy into today and made it happen.'”

— Joey Bart, Pittsburgh Pirates Catcher

“'Our offense has been really good. You know, for a couple of days we didn't get the big hit, but this is a good offense, and we're going to score runs.'”

— Bryan Reynolds

What’s next

The Pirates are off on Monday and then head to Texas for a 3-game series against the Rangers and Andrew McCutchen. Carmen Mlodzinski will start for the Pirates on Tuesday night.

The takeaway

Mitch Keller's strong 7-inning outing was a much-needed boost for the Pirates, who were able to save their bullpen and get key offensive production to take two of three games from the Rays. The win highlighted the team's resilience and ability to bounce back after a tough extra-inning loss the previous day.