Mitch Keller delivers promising performance, 7-run inning boosts Pirates past Cubs

Apr. 11—After a rough spring training and first outing, Mitch Keller could have wilted when he walked the first batter he faced and gave up a run in the first inning Saturday night against the Chicago Cubs.

Keller's fastball command has been an issue, so Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton was most impressed with how Keller fared after throwing three straight balls to David Bote with one out and a runner on second base in the second inning. Keller got Bote to ground out then struck out pitcher Zach Davies to end the inning.

The Pirates responded with a seven-run second inning in an 8-2 victory over the Cubs on Saturday night before 7,052 at PNC Park, snapping their six-game losing streak and showing signs of promise at the plate and from the pitcher expected to anchor their starting rotation.

"I think that was definitely a really positive sign," Shelton said. "We threw up the seven spot, and he went right back out and started to attack."

Shelton has emphasized how impressed the Pirates are with Keller's stuff and the need for him to stay in the strike zone, a challenge for the 25-year-old right-hander. Keller threw 77 pitches in three innings in his first start of the season, giving up three runs on two hits and four walks in a 4-3 loss to the Cubs on April 4 at Wrigley Field.

This time, Keller recovered from a shaky first inning, when he walked leadoff batter Ian Happ and gave up a run-scoring double to Kris Bryant as the Cubs took a 1-0 lead. Keller kept his composure, allowing five hits and one walk with seven strikeouts while throwing 80 pitches in five innings before being pulled when his turn came to bat in the lineup.

"I mean, had a rough spring, rough first outing, so it felt really good to just kind of have a good one out there," Keller said. "Just all the hard work I put in just kind of finally paid off and really excited to keep going after this one."

Cubs righty Zach Davies was knocked out of the game in the second inning, six days after he allowed only two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings against the Pirates. This time, they batted around the order.

Colin Moran drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a double to center by Erik Gonzalez. Gregory Polanco walked to load the bases with no outs for Jacob Stallings, who was batting .188 but lined a single through short to score Moran and Gonzalez for a 2-1 lead.

Adam Frazier followed with a double down the right-field line to score Polanco for a 3-1 lead. The rally continued when Phillip Evans walked and Bryan Reynolds drove in two runs with a double to left for a 5-1 lead. In his second at-bat of the inning, Moran drove in two more runs with a single to make it 7-1.

"Honestly, it was awesome to see the guys break out like that and put up that number, but, I mean, I was going back out there same mentality, just filling it up and using my stuff to get quick outs," Keller said. "Especially after a seven-run, the next thing I want to do when I go out there is get a shutdown inning and come back with another zero and have it be a quick inning."

Keller got out of a jam in the fifth after allowing singles by Bote and Happ. With runners on first and second and two outs, he got Anthony Rizzo to fly out to left to end the inning.

With his parents, Tom and Ileana, in attendance and his brother Michael there to watch him play in the majors for the first time, Evans had a night to remember. In the sixth, he drove a Dillon Maples 2-1 sinker 415 feet into the visiting bullpen for his third home run of the season and an 8-1 Pirates lead, causing chants of "M-V-P!" from the crowd that endured a steady rain for the final three innings.

"It was awesome," said Evans, who went 2 for 4 to boost his batting average to .391 through seven games. "After last season, having the fans there, having family in there, it was a special night, and I'm glad they were there to be a part of it."

Note: The Pirates honored Phil Coyne, who served as an usher for eight decades spanning from Forbes Field to Three Rivers Stadium to PNC Park, with a moment of silence before the game. Coyne, of Oakland, died Friday morning at the age of 102.

"Anybody that dedicates that much of their life, to anything, but to the Pirates is really cool," Shelton said before the game. "I mean, working at Forbes Field, seeing Babe Ruth, that's like living-legend type stuff. It's kind of cool. My heart goes out to him and his family and want to thank him for everything he did for the Pirates for a long time."

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Kevin by email at kgorman@triblive.com or via Twitter .