KANSAS CITY -- Royals right-hander
“We want to finish strong,” Royals first baseman
“Today I felt we used their aggressiveness to our advantage,” Keller said. “It seems like they were swinging the first two pitches every time. Especially when we get up by 10, you just throw strikes.\n\n“We didn’t seem to pitch in a whole lot. I felt good with my four-seamer and then commanding my slider. We used the sinker when we needed to but it got away from me at times.”\n\nThe Pirates were impressed with Keller’s command.\n\n“When you throw nine innings and 111 pitches with two punchouts, he’s getting a lot of contact,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton, formerly bench coach for the Twins. “He’s pitched well all year. He continues to fill up the zone. He gets contact and keeps guys sharp. He’s going, he’s rapid and he’s pitching really well. You can see, having seen him last year in the division, this kid is maturing into a really good pitcher.”
Keller said he was determined to get the shutout.\n\n“It was really exciting,” Keller said. “Mike \\[Matheny\\] said he was going to cap me at a certain pitch count \\[at 110\\]. I said it doesn’t matter to me. I want to get three outs and do it for the bullpen.\n\n\"Then afterward he said, 'I’ll let you get to 111.'\"\n\nMatheny, indeed, wanted Keller to get the shutout, too.\n\n“Complete-game shutouts are a big deal,” Matheny said. “It sends a message to the rest of the guys that it’s the kind of pitching they want. It was a great job.”
The Royals took a quick 4-0 lead in the first despite having only one ball leave the infield. But three walks, an infield hit and a wild pitch that scored two runners -- when Pirates starter Chad Kuhl's throw bounced off the home-plate umpire’s mask and caromed away -- all contributed.\n\nFrom there the Royals relied on a little power.