Fantasy News

• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Tagged with second loss

  Rotowire Apr 20, 2024

  Keller (2-2) took the loss Saturday, giving up four runs on five hits and four walks over six innings as the Pirates fell 4-2 to the Red Sox. He struck out four. After Boston scored twice in the first inning, Keller settled down and seemed to be cruising until Masataka Yoshida clubbed a two-run homer off him in the sixth. The right-hander has lasted at least six innings in three straight starts, but his overall results to begin 2024 haven't been impressive as he carries a 4.80 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 25:11 K:BB through 30 innings. Keller will look to tighten things up in his next outing, which lines up to come at home next week against the Brewers.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Goes seven innings against Phillies

  Rotowire Apr 14, 2024

  Keller (2-1) earned the win Sunday, allowing two runs on eight hits and no walks over seven innings against Philadelphia. He struck out four. Keller notched his second straight victory Sunday, allowing a pair of runs via a Trea Turner solo homer and an RBI single also hit by Turner. After giving up five runs in each of his first two starts, Keller has bounced back with a pair of quality starts, bringing his ERA down to 4.50 with 21 strikeouts across 24.0 innings. He's expected to make his next start during a three-game homestand against the Red Sox.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Fans nine in victory

  Rotowire Apr 8, 2024

  Keller (1-1) earned the win Monday, allowing two runs, five hits and three walks over six innings against the Tigers. He struck out nine. After allowing four runs in each of his first two outings, Keller looked like a frontline starter Monday against the Detroit, scattering two runs while allowing eight baserunners. He generated an impressive 13 whiffs, including nine alone on his sinker, while racking up nine strikeouts. Keller scheduled to make his next start against the Phillies on the road.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Another disappointing showing

  Rotowire Apr 3, 2024

  Keller (0-1) took the loss Wednesday against the Nationals, yielding five runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out five. After giving up four earned runs in his 2024 debut, Keller appeared primed to bounce back against a sub-standard Nationals lineup. However, Keller was once again tagged for four earned runs -- including a solo homer by Joey Gallo in the second. He's been unable to replicate his 2023 success thus far, owning an ugly 6.55 ERA and 1.73 WHIP through two starts. He's lined up for another recovery chance during Monday's projected start against the Tigers.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Struggles in no-decision

  Rotowire Mar 29, 2024

  Keller allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks over 5.2 innings during Thursday's Opening Day win at Miami. He struck out three and did not factor in the decision. Keller threw 61 of his 85 pitches for strikes, but he was not sharp overall as Miami's bats seemed to have a bead on him all game. The Pittsburgh righty, who signed a five-year contract extension in the offseason, exited with a three-run deficit, but the Pirates were able to grind their way back into the game, eventually earning the victory and taking Keller off the hook. Expect Keller to rebound in his next start, tentatively scheduled for next week against the Nationals.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Not worried about decreased velo

  Rotowire Mar 7, 2024

  Keller sat between 90-92 mph for much of his spring training outing Wednesday against the Orioles, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports. The decreased velocity is a red flag not only for his potential level of performance but also as a potential indication of injury. However, he completed four innings -- his longest outing of the spring -- and told reporters after the game that he wasn't worried and that his velocity would ramp back up as the intensity of games increased. Though his results were inconsistent, Keller is coming off a breakout season during which he struck out 210 batters across 194.1 innings, and he'll take the mound on Opening Day against the Marlins.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Draws Opening Day nod

  Rotowire Feb 22, 2024

  Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Thursday that Keller will serve as the club's Opening Day starter March 28 in Miami, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Shelton's announcement was seemingly a foregone conclusion after Keller signed a five-year, $77 million contract extension -- the largest for a pitcher in franchise history -- just hours earlier. Though Keller is the Pirates' No. 1 starter, he likely profiles as more of a depth arm for most fantasy pitching staffs after he went 13-9 with a 4.21 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 210:55 K:BB in 194.1 innings over his 32 starts a season ago.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Nabs five-year contract extension

  Rotowire Feb 22, 2024

  Keller agreed to a five-year contract extension with the Pirates on Thursday, Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com report. Keller avoided arbitration for 2024 with a one-year, $5.44 million contract last month, but the new deal cancels out that agreement and will take effect beginning this season, per Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. The deal is worth $77 million in total and will buy out what would have been the first two years of Keller's free agency. Keller, who turns 28 in April, is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he won 13 games while posting a 4.21 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 210:55 K:BB across 194.1 innings covering 32 starts.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Avoids arbitration

  Rotowire Jan 11, 2024

  Keller signed a one-year, $5.4425 million contract with the Pirates on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. Keller got off to a hot start last season, but he posted a 5.59 ERA in 77.1 innings after the All-Star break. Despite his late struggles, Keller remains a viable fantasy option after racking up 210 strikeouts in 194.1 frames and 13 wins in 2023.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Gets early shutdown

  Rotowire Sep 28, 2023

  Keller will not start Sunday's season finale against the Marlins, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Keller would have been on normal rest for the matchup in Miami, but he's already thrown a career-high 194.1 innings this season and the Pirates will go ahead and shut him down a bit early. The 27-year-old right-hander showed promising flashes at times in 2023 while delivering an overall 13-9 record, 4.21 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 210:55 K:BB across those 194.1 frames.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Hurls eight shutout innings

  Rotowire Sep 15, 2023

  Keller (12-9) earned the win Thursday, allowing two hits and one walk over eight scoreless innings against Washington while striking out seven. Keller was spectacular, allowing only two singles all night -- and one of those came in the first at-bat of the game. It was a great bounce-back performance after the right-hander had matched his season high with eight runs allowed in his previous outing, and Thursday's start marked the third time this season he's gone at least eight innings. Keller has won three of his last four decisions (spanning five starts), posting a 37:6 K:BB over that stretch.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Crushed in Atlanta

  Rotowire Sep 8, 2023

  Keller (11-9) yielded eight runs on 12 hits over five innings Friday, striking out four and taking a loss against Atlanta. Keller didn't allow a lot of hard contact, but things began to unravel when Atlanta strung together six singles in the third inning. He also gave up eight runs against the Brewers on Aug. 3 but had allowed just eight total runs in his following five starts. His ERA rose to 4.23 with a 191:51 K:BB through 174.2 frames. Keller is projected to face the Nationals at home next week.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Continues hot stretch on mound

  Rotowire Sep 2, 2023

  Keller did not factor into the decision Friday, allowing one run on five hits and three walks over six innings while striking out eight batters in the Pirates' 4-2 extra-inning win over the Cardinals. Keller tossed five scoreless frames before Willson Contreras took him deep for a solo shot to open the bottom of the sixth inning, providing the only blemish on the right-hander's line. The 27-year-old has now recorded four straight quality starts, producing a 1.38 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 33 strikeouts over 26 inning during that stretch. Keller's season-long ERA now sits at 3.93 over 169.2 frames in 28 outings.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Dominates with eight scoreless

  Rotowire Aug 25, 2023

  Keller (11-8) earned the win Friday, allowing four hits and one walk over eight scoreless innings against the Cubs. He struck out six. Keller needed only 93 pitches to complete eight innings, which marked his second longest outing of the season in stifling the Cubs to earn his 11th win, and he might have been allowed to go for the complete-game shutout if he hadn't taken a comebacker off the leg in the eighth. Keller did finish the frame, however. The first-time All-Star had struggled in his first five starts following the break with a 9.11 ERA over 26.2 innings. However, in his past three starts he's regained his form, allowing only three earned runs with 25 strikeouts in 20 innings for a 1.35 ERA. Keller will look to continue rolling in his next start, currently scheduled to take place next Wednesday in Kansas City.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Strikes out 12 in winning effort

  Rotowire Aug 20, 2023

  Keller improved to 10-8 after striking out 12 and allowing two earned runs on seven hits and a walk across six innings in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Twins. Keller had a rough three-start stretch coming out of the All-Star break but seems to have emerged out of the slump. He dominated the Twins to rack up his highest strikeout total in a game since May 14 and backed the effort with 18 swinging strikes. Keller has gotten back on track across his last three outings, maintaining a 3.18 ERA with a 23:4 K:BB across 17 frames.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Fans seven in no-decision

  Rotowire Aug 14, 2023

  Keller allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks over six innings in a Game 1 victory during Sunday's doubleheader against the Reds. He struck out seven and did not factor in the decision. Keller gave up one run in the fourth and fifth innings during his first quality start since July 8. He coughed up eight homers in his five previous outings since July 8, resulting in a brutal 9.11 ERA. Keller lowered his season ERA to 4.27 with a 161:46 K:BB across 149.2 innings. His next start is lined up to be in Minnesota.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Strikes out eight in loss

  Rotowire Jul 29, 2023

  Keller (9-7) took the loss Friday, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks over 5.2 innings against the Phillies. He struck out eight. Keller recorded at least eight strikeouts for the ninth time across 22 starts this season, but he finished one out away from a quality start and suffered his seventh loss. The right-hander came into the contest having allowed 14 runs over his past two starts, so Friday's outing was certainly a bounce-back performance, though still not good enough to pull out a win against Zack Wheeler and the Phillies. At one point, Keller was in the midst of a breakout campaign and the Pirates were contending for a division title, but his recent struggles have marred some of the excellent work he did earlier in the campaign. Either way, with 145 strikeouts he's already eclipsed the career-high mark he set last year (138) and is poised to continue adding to that total despite Pittsburgh falling completely out of the playoff picture.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Roughed up in loss

  Rotowire Jul 23, 2023

  Keller (9-6) allowed six runs on nine hits and a walk over five innings Sunday, striking out seven and taking a loss against the Angels. Keller turned in another poor performance, this time highlighted by a season-high three home runs allowed. His ERA has jumped from 3.31 to 4.01 with him giving up 14 runs over his last two starts. The 27-year-old righty has posted a 5.51 ERA over his last 11 outings. Keller will look to turn things around in his next start, which is currently projected to be at home against the Phillies.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Tagged for eight Tuesday

  Rotowire Jul 18, 2023

  Keller (9-5) took the loss Tuesday, allowing eight runs on 10 hits and two walks over six innings against the Guardians. He struck out one. Cleveland did most of its damage against Keller early, putting up a five-spot on the right-hander in the first inning. It's a tough start to the second half for Keller, who posted a 2.16 ERA in his final four starts before the break. Overall, his ERA is up to 3.73 with a 1.16 WHIP and 130:36 K:BB through 20 starts (123 innings) this season. Keller will look to bounce back in his next outing, currently scheduled for next week in San Diego.

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• Pirates' Mitch Keller: Tosses seven scoreless frames

  Rotowire Jul 9, 2023

  Keller did not factor in the decision against Arizona on Saturday, tossing seven scoreless innings during which he allowed one hit and five walks while striking out four batters. Keller was a bit wild in the contest, throwing just 57 of 99 pitches for a strike and walking a season-high five hitters. However, the free passes didn't hurt him since he didn't allow more than one in any frame and yielded just one hit (a sixth-inning single by Ketel Marte). Following a rough patch in late May and early June, Keller has notched four quality starts over his past six outings, a span during which he's posted a 2.68 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. The right-hander heads into the All-Star break in the midst of a career-best campaign in which he's recorded a 3.31 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 129:34 K:BB over 117 innings to go along with a 9-4 record.

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