Mitch Keller blasted for 8 runs in Pirates' blowout loss to Brewers

For Pittsburgh Pirates starter Mitch Keller, July was a frustrating month, as he went 0-4 with a 6.28 ERA in five starts.

He didn’t fare any better during his first start in August.

The Milwaukee Brewers got to Keller early Thursday, scoring five runs in the first two innings, en route to a 14-1 win at American Family Field.

A three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning by Brice Turang turned the game into a rout and led to Keller’s exit after five innings. Keller (9-8, 4.35 ERA) tied his season worst in earned runs with eight, allowing nine hits and three walks with five strikeouts.

He has suffered a loss in five of his last six starts.

“His cutter was not as effective as it’s been in the past,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “Because of it, he left a bunch of balls in the middle of the plate.”

The Pirates (48-60) scored the game’s first run in the top of the first.

Alfonso Rivas, one of three players acquired from San Diego on Tuesday in exchange for Ji Man Choi and Rich Hill, led off with a walk against Brewers starter Adrian Houser in his first plate appearance with the Pirates.

He advanced to third on a single from Bryan Reynolds and eventually scored on Jack Suwinski’s groundout to shortstop.

Milwaukee quickly answered with two runs in the bottom of the first, courtesy of a double by Sal Frelick that scored William Contreras and Willy Adames. Frelick, a rookie who finished with five RBIs, has family ties to Greensburg.

“I think we’ve kind of been one, two hits away from really breaking out as an offense, and I think early today we saw those two-out knocks,” Frelick said. “It just felt like everyone was fighting at the bat rack to get to the plate, which is a good feeling as an offense.”

The Brewers did more damage in the second against Keller, who allowed four straight hits in the inning before recording an out.

By that time, an RBI double by Joey Weimer and a single by Christian Yelich had plated a pair, handing Milwaukee a 4-1 lead.

Keller eventually struck out former teammate Carlos Santana to end the inning, but not before a double-play ball to third base off the bat of Contreras scored Weimer from third, putting the Brewers up 5-1.

After Keller exited the game, Jose Hernandez took the mound in the sixth and allowed singles to Contreras and Santana, who came around to score on a three-run homer by Frelick.

After their first-inning run, the Pirates didn’t have much luck against Houser (4-3), who pitched six innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out five.

On the night, the Pirates managed just six hits and struck out 10 times in 33 at-bats.

Having beat up on Keller and Hernandez, the Brewers then dialed in on Dauri Moreta, who pitched the seventh.

Like Hernandez, he surrendered three runs as Milwaukee took a 14-1 lead.

The Pirates made a few notable defensive switches in the bottom of the eighth, with Vinny Capra, acquired this past spring from Toronto, making his debut with the club at third base.

Additionally, Henry Davis took over at catcher for Endy Rodriguez, who switched to first base for the first time in his big-league career.

Rodriguez had seen action at first throughout his time navigating the Pirates’ farm system, as well as during his time in the New York Mets organization.