The amount of quality starting pitching being wasted in Pittsburgh is stunning.
The Pirates’ 3-2 loss on Saturday against the Texas Rangers was a broken record played on loop for the 2025 season and the entire Ben Cherington era: not enough offense. But in the last couple of years, it’s been more frustrating than ever as the Pirates’ starting rotation has been one of the best in all of baseball.
No one is probably more frustrated right now than Mitch Keller, who, despite another quality year with a 4.02 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 16 starts, lost his tenth decision in a row on Saturday. Keller has the worst record among all starting pitchers in the league (1-10) and is currently tied with the Colorado Rockies’ Antonio Senzatela for the league lead in losses. Senzatela has two more wins than Keller despite a 6.48 ERA, a 1.90 WHIP, and a .352 opponent batting average.
Keller is tied for second in the league in quality starts this season with eleven, and is one of eight starters to have 11 or more quality starts. He almost had a 12th-quality start Saturday, going 5.2 IP and allowing three runs, one of which was unearned due to an error by Adam Frazier in left field, which ultimately put Keller on the hook for another loss and cost the Pirates the game.
Keller’s record certainly has a lot to do with some bad luck, but it probably has more to do with just how bad the Pirates’ offense is and how bad they have played as a collective unit. Two of those eight MLB pitchers who have eleven or more quality starts are on the Pirates, of course, Paul Skenes being the other. Skenes is three times as dominant a pitcher as Keller is, arguably the best in the game right now, and somehow sitting at a record of 4-6.
The Pirates have a combined 11-21 team record this year in Skenes and Keller’s starts. The teams that have the other six pitchers in the league who have 11 or more quality starts are a combined 62-30—simply flabbergasting.