After recording their first shutout in more than two months, the Pittsburgh Pirates will take aim at a series victory when they face the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday in Anaheim, Calif.
Pittsburgh snapped Los Angeles’ four-game winning streak with a 3-0 victory on Saturday when Endy Rodriguez hit his first major league homer and five pitchers combined on a five-hitter.
Pittsburgh boasts a high number of promising rookies on its roster, including Rodriguez. The switch-hitting catcher was named the organization’s minor league player of the year last season.
Pittsburgh has fallen out of the playoff contention after a hot start, but the future is bright with young players such as Quinn Priester, Liover Peguero, Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales, Carmen Mlodzinski and Jared Triolo all playing regularly at the major league level.
“There’s a lot of young players on this team,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “I think we have more games played by 24-and-under players [than] any team in baseball. Not every one of those young players is going to improve and advance in the same way, but we need some of them to. We need a good chunk.”
The Pirates are heading into the rubber match of a three-game series on a high note after closer David Bednar escaped a bases-loaded jam one out in the ninth inning on Saturday.
Trey Cabbage grounded into a game-ending double play, but Angels manager Phil Nevin was pleased with the rookie’s approach at the plate.
“I want them to stay aggressive,” Nevin said. “The reason our offense is where it is in this league is because we’re aggressive at swinging at strikes in the zone. We have done a fantastic job of it lately.”
Right-hander Mitch Keller (9-5, 3.73 ERA) will take the mound on Sunday as Pittsburgh seeks its first series victory since sweeping the San Diego Padres at the end of June.
Keller is looking to bounce back from his worst outing of the season after giving up 10 hits and eight earned runs in six innings against the Cleveland Guardians last Tuesday.
“It felt like they were on everything,” Keller said. “They put some good swings on pitches. I probably could have executed a little bit better.”
Mike Moustakas is 6-for-15 with a home run against Keller, who is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in one start against the Angels.
The Angels will counter with left-hander Tyler Anderson (4-2, 5.17), who allowed one run on five hits over three innings against the Houston Astros last Sunday.
Anderson, 33, dealt with cramping in his left calf and was pulled after throwing 85 pitches. He will be making his first career appearance versus Pittsburgh.
The Angels saw their franchise-record streak of 19 consecutive games with a home run come to an end on Saturday, but outfielder Mickey Moniak extended his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games. It’s the longest current streak in the major leagues.