In Last Game Before Break, Pirates Have Eyes on .500

The Pittsburgh Pirates will try to reach the .500 mark for the first time in over two months when they send Mitch Keller to the mound in the finale of their three-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon.

Recent Performance and Team Context

The Pirates are on a roll with their first three-game winning streak since early May, when they won two home games against the Colorado Rockies and another against the Los Angeles Angels. Bryan Reynolds led the charge in Saturday’s 6-2 win, going 4-for-5 with four RBIs. Before that game, Pittsburgh had only won three in a row once since they last reached .500 on April 27. That was after an 11-5 start followed by a rough patch where they lost nine of 11 games.

Reynolds broke out of a slump on Saturday, having gone hitless in his previous 10 at-bats and just 3-for-17 in his last four games. He singled in the first inning to set up an RBI groundout by Oneil Cruz and later added two-run singles in the seventh and ninth innings, marking his third four-hit game this season. “They keep going, they’re grinding,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “They did some stuff late in the game today. I’m proud of them. We’re playing good baseball right now, and we need to finish the first half strong.”

Importance of the Game

Reynolds’ big game also gave the Pirates five wins in six games since last Sunday’s 3-2 home loss to the New York Mets. Andrew McCutchen had two hits but tweaked his left hamstring when he was caught stealing third base in the seventh. Keller (10-5, 3.40 ERA) is just three wins shy of his career high set last season and is 8-2 with a 2.40 ERA in his past 11 starts dating back to May 6. Keller is coming off one of his best outings, allowing two runs on seven hits over eight innings in Monday’s 8-2 win over the Mets. “He’s elite, man. Stuff’s elite,” Pirates catcher Joey Bart said after Monday’s outing. “He’s just ready. Every fifth day, sixth day, whenever he’s out there, he’s ready.”

Pitching Matchup: Keller vs. White Sox

Keller will be making his first career appearance against the White Sox, who have become the first team to reach 70 losses this season, having been held to two runs or fewer for the 42nd time. Chicago is 3-9 in its past 12 games since its three-game winning streak from June 27-29. Luis Robert Jr. had an RBI single and stole two bases, while Tommy Pham had two hits and scored both runs on Saturday. “You can’t hide what everybody can see,” Robert said through an interpreter. “It’s bad. We have to keep working hard to try to get a better second half.”

After getting six-plus innings from Chris Flexen before Pittsburgh scored five times off relievers Tanner Banks and Justin Anderson (with Flexen charged with two of the runs), the White Sox did not announce their starter for Sunday, as their rotation entered Saturday with a respectable 3.10 ERA in its past 34 games.

Conclusion

The Pirates are aiming to hit the .500 mark against the White Sox before the All-Star break. With Mitch Keller starting for Pittsburgh and the White Sox looking to turn things around, fans can expect an exciting and competitive matchup. Both teams are making strategic changes to their lineups and pitching rotations, adding to the intrigue of this crucial game.