COLORADO ROCKIES (19-32) vs. PITTSBURGH PIRATES (18-31) May 28, 2021 at PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA -- GAME #50/HOME #23 RHP JON GRAY (4-4, 3.43 ERA) vs. RHP MITCH KELLER (2-6, 7.41 ERA) THE PIRATES...have lost a season-high tying six straight games and have dropped nine of their last 10 after winning back-to-back contests on 5/14-15...Have gone 6-20 in their last 26 games after winning a season-high three straight games to go above .500 (12-11) on 4/27...Were 15-34 after 49 games in 2020 (15-35 after 50). BUCS WHEN... TAPPING THE ROCKIES: The Pirates have won five straight games against the Rockies and have gone 22-11 in the last 33 Last five games ................0-5 meetings, dating back to the 2015 campaign...This marks Colorado's first visit back to PNC Park since May 21-23, 2019...The two clubs are scheduled to play again in Denver to close out the month of June. Last ten games .................1-9 ABOUT TONIGHT'S STARTER: Mitch Keller gets the start tonight in game one of this three-game series against the Rockies... Leading after 6 ................13-0 He has lost each of his last three assignments, including a 5-1 decision (5.0ip/5r) last Saturday afternoon at Truist Park in Tied after 6 ....................3-4 Atlanta...In his last four starts, Keller has received a total of four runs of support while he has been on the mound...Overall this season, he has received 15 runs of support when he has been on the mound in his first nine starts (seven of those 15 Trailing after 6 ................2-27 runs came in on one inning during his start on April 10 against the Cubs). Leading after 7 ................13-0 CASHING IN AT PNC: Gregory Polanco connected for his 48th career home run at PNC Park yesterday...He now ranks fifth on the all-time list for home runs hit in PNC Park history (since 2001)...Garrett Jones is fourth with 51, Jason Bay is third Tied after 7 ....................5-1 with 61, Pedro Alvarez is second with 62 and Andrew McCutchen is the all-time leader with 92. Trailing after 7 ................0-30 TOUGH TO K: Kevin Newman went 74 consecutive plate appearances without striking out until doing so in his final trip to the plate on Thursday - his first whiff since 5/7...Newman is the hardest player to strike out in the Major Leagues this season, Leading after 8 ................13-0 having done so just once every 16.27 plate appearances...In addition, Newman did not strike out in any of his 39 plate Tied after 8 ....................3-1 appearances during spring training this past February/March. Trailing after 8 ................1-29 A MERRY MONTH: Adam Frazier leads all National League players with 35 hits this month and is second behind Toronto's Marcus Semien (37) among all Major League players...Frazier's 35 hits in May are the most by a Pirates player in any month Scoring first ..................11-5 since Bryan Reynolds collected 40 during August of 2019. Opp. score first ................7-26 ROCKING AGAINST COLORADO: Kevin Newman has hit safely in each of his last five games against the Rockies, going 11-for-19 (.579) with two doubles, three home runs and seven RBI...Ben Gamel has gone 19-for-51 (.373) with four doubles, Scoring 4+ ..................14-4 a triple and .931 OPS in 16 career games against Colorado. Scoring less than 4. 4-27 ON THE MEND: Ke'Bryan Hayes (left wrist strain) is currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis...In four games, he has gone 5-for-13 (.385) with two doubles, a homer and two RBI...Left-handed pitcher Austin Davis (left elbow Outhitting Opp.. .16-4 sprain) struck out two of the three batters he faced while tossing a scoreless inning of relief in his last rehab appearance on Being out-hit .................0-26 Tuesday at Omaha...Davis has now allowed just two hits and one run while striking out 12 batters in a combined 6.0 innings of work in five rehab games between Single-A Bradenton and Indianapolis. Hits are equal ..................2-1 PEN PALS: The Bucco bullpen has posted a 1.27 ERA (21.1ip/3er) over the last five games and a 2.40 ERA (41.1ip/11er) in Comeback wins ..................8 the last nine games at PNC Park, dating back to 5/11. Wins in final AB ..................4 NOTHING SHORT OF THE BEST: Kevin Newman is the only Major League shortstop without an error this season (min: 40 games played)...Newman has gone 42 consecutive games without making an error at shortstop (he made one in his final game Walkoff Wins ....................2 there in 2020); his career-high errorless streak at shortstop is 54 games. Losses in final AB. 1 THE COMFORTS OF HOME: Jacob Stallings is hitting .328 (19-for-58) at PNC Park this season, having reached base safely in 15 of his 17 starts here and posting a .441 OBP in those starts...In his last 37 games played in Pittsburgh, Stallings has Extra Inning Games .............3-1 gone 35-for-113 (.310) with eight doubles, six home runs and 20 RBI while posting a .950 OPS and .410 OBP. Playing errorless ..............15-13 EXTRA! EXTRA!: Bryan Reynolds' 21 extra base hits are tied for tied for the fourth-most among all National League outfielders Homered ....................11-13 (Nick Castellanos leads with 27)...His 16 doubles rank second among all N.L. players behind St. Louis' Nolan Arenado (17). 2+ homers ...................4-3 COMING INTO THIS OWN: Clay Holmes has made 10 straight scoreless appearances (9.0ip) and has been charged with just one earned run over his last 17 outings (19.1ip)...Five of the eight earned runs he has allowed this season came in his outing Series (W-L-T) ...............4-9-3 on April 6 at Cincinnati...Since then he has posted a 0.86 ERA (21.0ip/3r/2er) across 19 appearances. Series Sweeps ...................0 THE N.L. LEADER BOARD: Adam Frazier enters today ranked first in the National League in hits (64), third in batting average (.332), eighth in OBP (.395) and tied for fifth in doubles (14)...Frazier has also posted the third-highest average among N.L. Swept in a Series .................4 hitters this month (.365) and the second-most hits (35) in the Majors behind Toronto's Marcus Semien (37). Interleague ....................5-3 BIG LEAGUE ROSTER: Pitchers (14) - Tyler Anderson, David Bednar, JT Brubaker, Kyle Crick, Wil Crowe, Clay Holmes, Sam Before the break ..............18-31 Howard, Mitch Keller, Nick Mears, Luis Oviedo, Richard Rodríguez, Chasen Shreve, Chris Stratton, Duane Underwood, Jr..... Catchers (2) - Michael Perez, Jacob Stallings...Infielders (7) - Will Craig, Wilmer Difo, Adam Frazier, Erik González, Kevin After the break .................0-0 Newman, Cole Tucker, Ildemaro Vargas...Outfielders (3) - Ben Gamel, Gregory Polanco, Bryan Reynolds. Starter goes 6.0ip+. 5-3 ON THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY Starter goes less than 6.0ip. 13-28 May 28. 2004: The Pirates used a pair of walkoff homers to take both games of a doubleheader against the Cubs. On the same day his son Black Road Jerseys ..............3-8 was born, Rob Mackowiak hit a walkoff grand slam in game one and a two-run, game-tying homer in the ninth inning of game two. The Grey Road Jerseys ...............7-9 Bucs won the second game by a score of 5-4, capped off by a solo homer off the bat of Craig Wilson in the 10th inning. UP-COMING GAMES AND PROBABLE PITCHERS Saturday vs. Colorado 4:05 LHP Austin Gomber (3-4, 4.56 ERA) vs. RHP JT Brubaker (3-4, 4.20 ERA) AT&T SportsNet Sunday vs. Colorado 1:05 LHP Kyle Freeland (0-0, 2.25 ERA) vs. TBA AT&T SportsNet Monday at Kansas City 7:10 CDT TBA vs. TBA AT&T SportsNet/ESPN Tuesday at Kansas City 7:10 CDT TBA vs. TBA AT&T SportsNet Wednesday in Pittsburgh OFF DAY 23 - RHP MITCH KELLER YEAR W-L ERA G GS CG SHO IP H R ER BB SO 2020 1-1 2.91 5 5 0 0 21.2 9 7 7 18 16 2021 2-6 7.41 9 9 0 0 37.2 47 31 31 21 40 M.L. CAREER 4-12 6.37 25 25 0 0 107.1 128 79 76 55 121 VS. COLORADO: Has never faced the Rockies. DATE/OPP W/L IP H R ER BB SO PITCHES ERA SCORE DATE/OPP W/L IP H R ER BB SO PITCHES ERA SCORE 4/4 at Chicago-NL L 3.0 2 3 3 4 4 77 9.00 3-4 L 4/19 vs. Chicago-NL W 5.0 5 1 1 1 7 80 4.50 8-2 W 4/15 vs. San Diego L 3.1 9 7 7 3 1 83 8.74 3-8 L 4/22 at Detroit ND 5.0 5 2 2 0 5 80 7.16 4-2 W 4/28 vs. Kansas City L 2.1 3 4 4 5 2 83 8.20 6-9 L APRIL (1-3, 8.20 ERA) 18.2 24 17 17 13 19 403 5/4 at San Diego W 5.2 2 0 0 2 5 83 6.29 2-1 W 5/10 vs. Cincinnati L 3.1 7 7 7 2 2 65 7.81 1-14 L 5/16 vs.