Mitch Keller

Over his past three starts, Keller has a 7.79 ERA and a 1.85 WHIP and a .347 batting average against.

Johan Oviedo and Colin Holderman produced two immaculate innings — nine pitches, three strikeouts — in a span of 21 days.

The ace right-hander was pulled with a one-run lead. The bullpen couldn't hold it.

Here are three steps forward and three steps back from the Pirates' up-and-down first quarter of the season.

At 27, Keller is the pitcher experts projected him to be when he was ascending prospect rankings. It just took him five years to get there.

“That was a big-boy start right there,” manager Derek Shelton said. The game took only one hour, 55 minutes.

Frustrations boiled over during a sloppy 8-1 loss against the Rays that led to the Pirates' first three-game losing skid this season.

Will this season be like 2012, when the Pirates' early success fizzled? "I’m not going to let that happen again," Andrew McCutchen said.

Reynolds' extension is the latest in a series of feel-good moments for the Pirates. So who’s next in line? And what’s next for this team?

How the new clock influences the game in smaller ways will be seen and felt throughout the season.

The righty was shelled at Great American Ball Park in his major-league debut. Four years later, he returns as the ace of the Pirates' staff.

For JT Brubaker, it's the change. For Mike Burrows, it's the slider. For Mitch Keller, it's a ... well, no one is sure what to call it.

Matt Brash throws a nasty breaking ball, as only a handful of sliders in the game had a better Stuff+ last year. But can he command it?

Second base is up for grabs and Castro says he wants the gig "really bad." Plus, items on Ortiz, Bae, Keller and much more.

"There's true competition for some spots in the rotation," Marin said. A look at where things stand and some of the pitchers in the mix.

The right-hander has brought back a gyro-cutter and wants to pitch the March 30 opener: "I’m going to work my (butt) off to be that dude.”

Blossoming in the nick of time, Keller has set himself up for bigger role and larger payday in 2023, thanks in part to a dominant slider.

Which came first, the sizzling sinker or his ramped-up self confidence? Who cares? It's all working for Keller.