Sports
Spoelstra: No need to penalize Ball any further
Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
ESPN News1 min read
Sports
Pirates' Don Kelly liked how former All-Star 'battled and grinded'
TL;DR
Pirates' manager Don Kelly praised Mitch Keller for his effort against the Nationals despite a tough outing, where he allowed five earned runs in four innings. Keller's performance reflects the team's overall strong starting rotation this season.
Pirates' Don Kelly liked how former All-Star 'battled and grinded' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller has been great to start the season, but he struggled against a young Washington Nationals team on Tuesday. Manager Don Kelly was happy with Kellerās performance despite the 30-year-old not sticking around long.
Pirates manager Don Kelly liked how Mitch Keller ābattled and grindedā against the Washington Nationals
āI mean, you know, with Mitch didn't from the beginning, didn't have the sharp command, but battled and grinded, and, you know, got, got through four innings when early on, I mean, didn't look, you could tell from the beginning, it wasn't as sharp as he's been,ā Kelly said toĀ SportsNet Pittsburgh. āAnd to be able to make the pick off, be able to strike that guy out throw him out in the first sitting, and then for him to battle through battle through four, keep it right where his at I mean there it could have gotten even worse there even in the first inning, give us a chance and then the way the offense battle.ā
Through four innings, the former All-Star (2023) allowed six hits, five earned runs, walked five, and struck out three. Outside of Kellerās start, the Pirates' homegrown starting rotation has proven to be the fourth-best in Major League Baseball (3.06 startersā ERA).
More News:Braves lefty elects free agency, leaving two rookies to fill the void
The Pirates' starting rotation is homegrown: Keller in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft, right-handers Paul Skenes drafted first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, Bubba Chandler drafted in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Braxton Ashcraft drafted in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft, and Carmen Mlodzinski drafted in the 2020 MLB Draft.
More News:
Q&A
What did Pirates manager Don Kelly say about Mitch Keller's performance against the Nationals?
Don Kelly commended Mitch Keller for battling through a challenging game, noting that he managed to get through four innings despite not having sharp command.
How many earned runs did Mitch Keller allow in his start against the Washington Nationals?
Mitch Keller allowed five earned runs during his four-inning start against the Washington Nationals.
What is the current ERA of the Pirates' starting rotation?
The Pirates' starting rotation currently has a 3.06 ERA, ranking as the fourth-best in Major League Baseball.