Pirates complete victorious victory behind Mitch Keller

PITTSBURGH – At the moment, with the worst record of the second half at the Majors, the Pirates can find solace in any victory. They were particularly relieved and thrilled by the return of Pablo "Tomkim" Reyes on the left field, who made a comeback in the ninth inning against the Raisel Iglesias, closer to the Reds, and a 3-2 win over

PITTSBURGH – At the moment, with the worst record of the second half at the Majors, the Pirates can find solace in any victory. They were particularly relieved and excited after Pablo "Tomkim" Reyes'The only player left on the left field made a comeback in the ninth inning against the Reds Raisel Iglesias and crowned their 3-2 win on Friday night at PNC Park.

It was the fifth victory of the Pirates season after eight innings, but it was only their ninth win in 39 games since the All-Star break. It did not spoil the mood when they pushed Reyes into the left field, smothering him with water and trying to rip his black jersey off him.

• The score of the box

"The atmosphere, the energy and the effort are there, but these do not always translate into victories. They are not for us, "said Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle. "Tonight we stay in a game, we keep chasing and we keep playing. It paid for us.

While the Pittsburgh front-office is turning to next season, they may find encouragement in more than Friday's final score.

Pirates No. 1 (after MLB Pipeline) Mitch "Kells" Keller made the best start of his young career. reliever Michael Feliz escaped a critical traffic jam. And Reyes, sent to Triple-A after a difficult April, delivered the biggest hit of the night.

It was Keller's version that the Pirates hoped to see when they promised to keep it spinning for the rest of the season. The 23-year-old right handed one point and struck out nine in six sets. The only damage to Keller was a run by the Reds rookie Aristides Aquino.

Keller was dominant from the start, striking Freddy Galvis and Eugenio Suárez in a perfect first run. That immediately sent a message: it was going to be different from his major league debut in Cincinnati on May 27, when he allowed six runs in the first run.

The Reds missed 19 of Keller's 91 pitches, including 10 of the 28 sliders he launched. He's prepared for success all night by throwing first-round strikes against 20 of the 24 hitters he's faced.

"That's just the name of the game. Statistically, batting averages are dropping dramatically," Keller said. "That's how I run it, that's how I always started, I just make sure I do it right today."

Early on, Keller always located his curved ball and slider in or around the hitting area when he wanted to. By so often going ahead in the count and showing that he could throw his last balls to score, he forced the Reds to be aggressive and to chase the grounds out of the box later in the game. .

"Every time you do well, it's a boost of confidence," said Keller, who started in the evening with a .86 ERA after five big league games and a 7.24 record. "I feel good and when the team wins, it's great."

The Pirates tied him up against the Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani in the sixth, but Keller almost returned to the seventh. With riders cornering and nobody on seventh, Hurdle summoned Feliz from the office.

Feliz came out and carried the nickname "FUEGO" over his number 45.

The right-hander hit the side and left the mound unscathed. Feliz only needed 13 lengths to escape the jam, throwing fast balls and sliding the sliders Derek Dietrich, Nick Senzel and Brian O 'Grady.

Since his unfortunate start as the first game on May 24, Feliz has achieved a 1.87 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 32 losses. He uses his 95 mph high-speed ball at the top of the strike zone and has finally turned his slider into swing-and-miss terrain.

"The way he was able to attack there, he seemed to have done it many times," said Hurdle. "It has improved over the season."

The Pirates acquired Feliz, convinced that he could afford to be a substitute for the late innings. That did not happen last season, and he did not throw out that spring well enough to make a place for himself in their opening day paddock. But more parties like this will consolidate his status for next season.

"When I have that kind of roles, it means a lot to me to be more comfortable out there and to show these guys that I can be in that position," Feliz said. .

Aquino struck again in eighth place, lining up a pre-game RBI duel on the left field Keone "Llave" Kela. But the Pirates tied the match against Iglesias with three consecutive singles Colin "Red Beard" Moran, José "El Gocho" Osuna and Adam "Fraz" Frazierthen catcher Jacob "Stalls" Stallings prevented the winning race from going to third.

Reyes arrived, hitting to get closer Felipe "Nightmare" Vázquez. After an unforgettable debut last September, the super-utility was struggling to find its place on the sideline before being opted for Indianapolis on May 4th. Reyes returned after the transaction deadline, seeking to prove that he was worthy of a reserve role.

"He fell and he played hard. He worked on every aspect of his game, "said Hurdle. "He came back. He lost a bit of play time. "

Reyes certainly seemed comfortable against Iglesias, taking two sliders in a row, then hitting the third bottom on the left field and triggering the Pirates celebration.

"It was a good game for us that ended a very good team win," said Hurdle.