Game Notes: Keller strong while offense struggles in Grapefruit League Opener

The Pittsburgh Pirates opened their 2020 spring training schedule when they took on Minnesota on Saturday falling 2-1. Mitch Keller led the way on the mound while the offense struggles to get going.

Baseball is officially back as all 32 major League teams have taken the field to open the 2020 Grapefruit and Cactus League Schedules. With the start of a new season comes intrigue and excitement as fans and players alike get ready for the next eight months of action.

For the Pirates they got a strong showing on the mound from their future ace as they took on the Minnesota Twins. They fell 2-1 to the defending AL Central Champions, but got a strong showing from Mitch Keller in his Grapefruit League debut.

Keller started the game and threw two scoreless innings allowing just two hits and facing one over the minimum. Both hits he allowed came with one out and he was able to work out of the jam each time. Keller didn't walk anyone and only got into one one ball count all afternoon.

It was a promising start to spring training for Keller, who struggled during his rookie season. Keller's control and location of his pitches will be key as he tries to make the jump from middle of the rotation arm to eventual team ace in his first full major League season.

The Twins would get both of their runs in the third inning off of James Marvel. After a leadoff hit the Twins strung together three consecutive one-out singles to take the 2-1 lead. Michael Feliz and Clay Holmes would each throw a scoreless inning of relief before Miguel Del Pozo, Williams Jerez, and Blake Cederlind all produced scoreless outings keeping the Twins off the board.

However, the Pirates offense could never find their groove against the Twins. Many of the regulars took the field and none came up with hits. Josh Bell, Bryan Reynolds, Adam Frazier, Cole Tucker, and Jacob Stallings combined to go just 1-10 with Tucker producing the lone hit.

The Pirates only run of the game came in the bottom of the 7th. Jason Delay started the inning with a walk and a Ke'Bryan Hayes double put runners at second and third with nobody out. It looked like the Twins would get out of the jam as a strikeout and groundout to the pitcher stranded the runners with two outs but, Andrew Susac would come up with an RBI single scoring Delay to make it a 2-1 game.

Hayes was one of the lone bright spots for the Pirates offense finishing the day 1-1 with a double and a walk opening his spring on a strong note. 2020 is a big year for Hayes as he is looking to make his presence felt and eventually take over as the team's everyday third baseman. While it is unlikely that Hayes cracks the opening day roster, he made a strong impression on new Pirates manager Derek Shelton.

With it only being the Grapefruit League Opener there shouldn't be much concern about the slow start as the spring goes on, guys will get there timing down and we will be able to better assess this year's lineup.

Player of the Game: Mitch Keller (2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 K)

Mitch Keller opened his Grapefruit League Schedule with a strong performance on the mound. He showed strong control only throwing one ball in the outing and getting his work in quickly and efficiently. That control will be key as he tries to build off his last two 2019 starts where he gave up just two runs over 10 innings of work while striking our 14 batters.

Up Next:

The Pirates will split up tomorrow as they continues through their Grapefruit League Schedule. Half the squad will go on the road where Trevor Williams gets the start against the Philadelphia Phillies, while the other half will host the Detroit Tigers ar LECOM Park as Derek Holland gets the start. Both games are set to start at 1:05 p.m.