Mitch

Keller

Keller narrowly avoided trouble in the first inning after allowing two batters to reach base, but didn’t enjoy the same fortunes in the second inning. After putting two men on again in the inning, Keller would allow an RBI single to Ronald Acuña to give the Braves their first run of the night. Keller would surrender a two-run homer to Mauricio Dubón in the third inning and was lit up for three more runs in the fifth before being pulled with two outs. Keller is in a bit of a funk after allowing 13 earned runs over his last 8 2/3 innings. Things won’t get any easier for him in his next start, which is scheduled for Thursday against the Dodgers.

Keller gave up a run on two hits in the second inning. The Twins followed with a second run on two more hits in the third. Keller got into more trouble in the fourth, giving up five runs to blow a five-run lead. The fourth inning would be his last, ending his day at 77 pitches. He struck out five. The 30-year-old right-hander will take a 4.35 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 51/20 K/BB ratio across 68 1/3 innings into a start against the Braves in Atlanta on Friday.

Keller allowed just four hits on the afternoon while issuing three free passes. The lone tally against him came on an RBI single off the bat of Ernie Clement in the fourth inning. He generated 11 swings and misses on 101 pitches on the day, posting a CSW of 27 percent. Now 5-2 on the season, the 30-year-old righty will carry a 3.64 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and a 46/19 K/BB ratio (64 1/3 innings) into Friday’s showdown against the Twins.

He fanned three. Keller has kept it together from an ERA perspective this year, but that’s mostly because he’s allowed only four homers while being a modest flyball pitcher with a weak strikeout rate. It’s not going to last, even if he does pitch half of his games in pitcher friendly ballpark. His 18 percent strikeout rate this year is down from a career mark of 22 percent, and his velocity is down about two mph from his best season in 2022. He just doesn’t figure to be very good going forward. His next start is slated for Sunday against the Blue Jays.

Keller struck out three and walked just one. He was perfect through four before a six-run outburst in the fifth, including a three-run homer off the bat of Mickey Moniak. The 30-year-old righty entered this start with a 2.87 ERA, but all his estimators suggested nothing much had changed. His next start is scheduled to come on the road in St. Louis.

Keller struck out four batters on the afternoon while issuing a pair of walks. The Diamondbacks scratched out a run against him in the opening inning and added another on a solo blast from Corbin Carroll in the third inning, but Keller stopped the damage there and kept them off the board for his final three innings. The 30-year-old right-hander got eight whiffs on 84 pitches on the day, registering a CSW of 27 percent. Now 4-1 on the season, he’ll carry an impressive 2.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a 35/14 K/BB ratio (47 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Rockies.

Keller rolled here. He retired the first six batters he faced until an error by Brandon Lowe knocked him off that streak. From there, the Reds barely made him break a sweat. His fastball was especially effective living high and above zone while forcing eight swings-and-misses. He’s now only allowed more than three runs once this season and will enter his next start against the Diamondbacks with a stellar 2.85 ERA.

Keller struck out six against two walks, and he allowed five total hits in the contest. He blanked the Brew Crew over the first three innings, but gave up a pair in the fourth and another in the sixth was charged to the right-hander after he left. Keller was outstanding Sunday against the rays, but this effort would accurately be described as so-so or “meh” from a fantasy perspective, even with a decent number of punchouts. He still possesses a strong 3.18 ERA and will look to lower it against the Cardinals on Thursday.

Keller punched out five opposing hitters on the day and didn’t walk a batter. The only blemish on his afternoon came on a two-run single off the bat of Hunter Fedducia in the fifth inning. Keller generated 12 swings and misses on 89 pitches on the day, posting a CSW of 29 percent. He now sits at 2-1 on the season with a 2.79 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 19/9 K/BB ratio across 29 innings through his first five starts. He’ll look to replicate this fine effort when he takes on the Brewers in Milwaukee his next time out on Saturday.

Keller walked James Wood and Luis García Jr. to start the first and then gave up three straight hits. It could have been a true disaster, but with three runs in, Keller picked Daylen Lile off second base and then got a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play to end the inning. Still, things only got so much better afterwards, and it took him 90 pitches to get just 12 outs. His ERA jumped from 1.00 to 2.86, and it figures to keep rising from there. He’ll face the Rays on Sunday.