It’s probably too early to say that Mitch Keller is “reinventing himself.” Based on his struggles at the Major League level (9-22 career record, 5.79 ERA), it’s easier to argue that the first edition of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher has never been a completely finished product.

But the 26-year-old right-hander seems to be finding more success of late with an expanded arsenal of pitches.

While the Pirates lost again Monday night (their seventh defeat in a row), this time to the St. Louis Cardinals by a final score of 7-5, Keller allowed just two earned runs and had the books closed on his start with a 5-2 lead before the Pirates bullpen imploded.

Over his past five appearances (three starts) since May 18, Keller has posted a 2.82 ERA with 20 strikeouts. And he is doing so with a greater reliance on diversifying his pitch selection.

“Midweek bullpens are great,” Keller told AT&T Sportsnet after the game. “Finding the way the ball moves … (and) just going up there with a bunch of confidence and filling up the zone has been good for me.”

One big addition has been the development of a sinker. In his last outing against Detroit, Keller threw 42 sinkers. According to MLB.com’s Justice delos Santos, “Keller’s fastball accounted for 57.1% of his pitches. Since introducing the sinker, Keller’s fastball usage has cratered to 23.7%. Instead of being a primary pitch, the fastball is now more game-dependent. In his last outing, Keller threw a career-low seven fastballs. On Monday, he threw 25 heaters.”

Keller suggested that the new pitch is keeping hitters off-balance.

“The sinker has helped a lot, keeping right-handed hitters honest. Get me something running in on their hands, (then) go away with the slider, or the curveball or whatever we might throw away. That’s all kind of (been) a reason why stuff has gone a little bit better for myself,” Keller said.

That same MLB.com post suggested that Keller’s implementation of a sinker has also been part of an uptick in pitch selection with increased velocity. His average fastball in 2021 registered at 93.8 mph. As of his start Monday, Keller’s fastball was averaging 96.1 mph, with the sinker pacing at 95.0 mph as well.

Yet, through five innings of shutout pitching — before Anthony Banda allowed two of Keller’s inherited runners to score in the sixth — it was a curveball that got Keller through the outing.

“I didn’t have a good feel for my slider like I did last game,” Keller said. “So, we’ve got to find a way to throw another spin pitch for a strike. Or something that’s going to get some swing-and-miss. … If I didn’t have my curveball, I’m probably out in the third.”

Via TribLIVE’s Kevin Gorman, Keller threw a career-high 23 curveballs on Monday. Manager Derek Shelton credited Keller for adjusting midstream.

“He continued to go out and compete,” Shelton said. “The sinker wasn’t the best one he’s had in the three (outings) he’s had it. He was able to execute the breaking ball. The slider early on was not as sharp as he would’ve liked. He was able to execute it in the fourth and fifth a little bit. It all comes down to executing pitches. But I thought Mitch threw the ball outstanding.”

The season numbers are far from impressive for Keller. He’s just 2-5 with a 5.07 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. So maybe necessity has precipitated Keller’s attempt to expand his repertoire.

But he’s not being stubborn. He’s apparently willing to adjust to get better. And in yet another season where Pirates wins and losses are occurring in the vacuum of sacrificing results in the name of development, why not develop on the big league stage?

Small steps forward for Keller on the way to potentially positive results may be one of the few bright spots in the first half of 2022 that now sees the 24-35 Pirates heading in the wrong direction.

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