On a Friday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost 6-3 to the Atlanta Braves on the road. With that loss, a new issue is opening up for the team, and the issue is starting pitcher Mitch Keller.

Keller started the game, and he went 4.2 innings allowing seven hits, six earned runs and walking three batters. He threw 99 pitches in not even four complete innings of the game.

Friday night’s loss is not the first time we saw the 30-year-old pitcher struggle. The last game Keller pitched was on May 30 against the Minnesota Twins. In that game, he allowed 10 hits and seven earned runs in just four innings pitched.

The right-handed pitcher also had mediocre performances lately against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Colorado Rockies. In the game against the Cards, he allowed 4 earned runs in the 9-6 loss, and in the game against the Rockies, he allowed seven hits and six earned runs in a 10-4 loss against one of the worst teams in baseball.

The recent struggles bring up the tough question. Has Mitch Keller lost his touch ?

I think they do, which is not easy for me to say. Some of his most recent struggles are coming against non playoff teams like the Twins and the Rockies. To start the season, a lot of people believed that the Bucs had one of the strongest starting rotations in the Majors, but because of his mediocre performances of late, it looks like Keller is towards the bottom of the rotation.

Keller had two really solid seasons in 2023 and in 2024 for Pittsburgh. During his only All-Star campaign in 2023, he set a career-best in strikeouts (210) and innings pitched (194.1) while posting 13 wins and a strong 4.21 ERA. That year he cemented himself as the ace of the Pirates rotation.

Last year, Keller had a rough 6-15 record, but I thought a lot of those losses were on the struggling offense. His ERA last season was actually pretty solid at 4.19, and he had 150 strikeouts, which wasn’t bad either.

To start this season, he has a 5-3 record which is a little deceiving. Right now he has a 4.81 ERA in 13 games pitched, which is high. I don’t think Mitch Keller has been terrible, but he definitely has been disappointing of late after a decent start.

The Pirates also need to have Keller go longer into games. The former All Star hasn’t gotten past the sixth inning since May 1. With the bullpen still being shaky, it is important to have the starters go longer into their starts so the bullpen is relied on as much.

I like Keller a lot, and I don’t like that he has been terrible, but he is pitching as well as the team needs him to do right now. If the Pirates want to keep pace with the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, they need the pitching to be better, and it starts with Mitch Keller.

Comment below if you think Mitch Keller has touch his touch on the mound.