Mitch Keller tosses six scoreless innings vs. Twins

PITTSBURGH — Mitch Keller continued his torrid stretch Friday night at PNC Park, tossing six scoreless frames to set the Pirates up for a 3-0 win over the Twins.

Keller was tagged for seven hits, but Minnesota could only manage three hard-hit balls all game. He struck out eight, including Royce Lewis and Max Kepler with the bases loaded in the fifth, the Twins’ best scoring opportunity of the night.

That’s now six straight starts for Keller where he has gone at least six innings and allowed two or fewer runs, the longest such streak for a Pirate since Gerrit Cole tallied eight in a row in 2015.

Oneil Cruz homered off Twins starter Joe Ryan in the second, marking the second straight day the Pirates shortstop has gone deep. Nick Gonzales drove a sac fly in the fourth for his 23rd RBI of the season, the most of any player in the National League since being recalled on May 10. Connor Joe added an insurance homer in the eighth as well.

With the win, the Pirates are now 30-33.