Keller will start against Angels
ST. LOUIS — Pirates manager Clint Hurdle confirmed Friday that Mitch Keller will get recalled from Class AAA Indianapolis to the big-league roster. Keller will make his fourth major league start against the Anaheim Angels early next week at Angels Stadium.
“We’re going to need a fifth starter,” Hurdle said. “He’s been pitching better than anyone else down there. He’s always been on the radar but he just needed to work down there because the work he did up here wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t good enough for him to stay here. The development he needed wasn’t going to happen up here.”
Keller went 0-1 with a 10.50 ERA in his three starts with the Pirates. Keller allowed 14 earned runs in 12 innings in his three previous major league games. Conversely, Keller has a 3.56 ERA over 52⅔ innings in his past 10 starts in Indianapolis.
Hurdle was uncertain as to if Keller will join the team in St. Louis or meet them in Anaheim Monday. Keller could throw his bullpen session in Indianapolis or St. Louis.
Bell back in lineup
Josh Bell returned to the starting lineup Friday after a two-game absence. Bell got three days off including the travel day Thursday. Bell hasn’t hit a homer since July 5 and entered the game with .160 batting average since.
“I don’t know what to expect,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said before the Friday game. “I just know that the strategy of giving some extra time off has worked in the past. If nothing else, one of the underlying comments that every man has made afterward is that it was really good mentally. It was refreshing for them mentally to be in that position.”
Bell hit fourth and played first base.
“It’s much easier to write the lineup with him in it than the one you write for a couple of days without him,” said Hurdle.
Osuna in left
Jose Osuna entered Friday’s game against the Cardinals hitting safely in nine of the previous 10 games. Osuna started in left field for the second time this season. The Pirates had previously played Bryan Reynolds in left field since the Corey Dickerson trade.
Reynolds played in right field Friday, but don’t expect to see a lot of Osuna in left at PNC Park.
“We’d like to keep Reynolds out there [in left] since he has better range,” Hurdle said. “Osuna will catch what he can get to and will go all out. But we like Reynolds out there a little better.”
Weekend rotation
Steven Brault will start Sunday after Joe Musgrove gets the call Saturday.