Mitch Keller had his best start of the season and Bryan Reynolds hit his 100th career home run in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 7-4 win over the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park on Monday night.
Keller (1-1) had some early wildness, walking two in the first inning and three through the first three frames, but settled in and delivered the Pirates’ fifth quality start in a row.
The staff ace went six innings for the first time this season, allowed two runs on five hits and struck out nine batters.
The Tigers (6-4) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Colt Keith’s RBI-single. They scored another run in the fourth inning on Zach McKinstry’s sacrifice fly.
After the sacrifice, Keller retired seven of the final eight batters he faced.
Monday’s start marked Keller’s 34th-consecutive outing of pitching at least five innings. It’s the longest active streak in baseball and the longest by a Pirates’ pitcher since A.J. Burnett had 49 straight between 2012-13.
Reynolds’ milestone home run padded the Pirates’ lead. Stuck in an 0-for-16 skid, Reynolds stepped to the plate against left-hander Tyler Holton and turned on a 1-0 sinker, clearing the fence in left field to put the Pirates up 7-2. Perhaps fittingly, the blast measured 412 feet.
Reynolds became the 25th Pirates’ player to hit 100 home runs with the club.
The Pirates (9-2) evened the score at 1-1 in the second inning when Connor Joe brought home Jack Suwinski from third on an infield single against Reese Olson (0-1). After the Pirates loaded the bases later in the inning, Joey Bart brought home two with a base hit up the middle.
Bart became the fourth player since 1920 and the first since Lastings Milledge in 2009 to have multiple RBIs in his first two games with the Pirates.
The Pirates loaded the bases again the following inning and Jared Triolo plated two more with a single to center field.
In the sixth inning, Andrew McCutchen just missed on his 300th-career home run, instead settling for a double after hitting one high of the Clemente Wall in right. McCutchen would score on a Joe double off the wall in left-center.
Reynolds, Suwinski, McCutchen, Joe and Triolo each had two hits apiece.
After Matt Vierling drove in a run with an infield single to keep the bases loaded against Josh Fleming, manager Derek Shelton turned to Aroldis Chapman with the game-tying run at the plate. Chapman struck out both batters he faced to end the inning. Both punchouts came on 101 mph sinkers.
In the top of the ninth, Riley Greene lined one deep to left field off of Ryder Ryan. Suwinski raced back to the track, reached his glove over the fence to save a home run, but the ball popped out of his mitt. Gio Urshela scored on the play and Greene ended up at second for a double.
Ryan retired the next two batters he faced to give the Pirates’ their ninth win of the season.
Up Next
The Pirates and Tigers will wrap up their two-game series on Tuesday afternoon. Martín Pérez (1-0, 2.45 ERA) will make his third start of the season. He’ll be opposed by 2018 first-overall pick Casey Mize (0-0, 6.23 ERA). First pitch: 12:35 ET.
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