Mitch Keller News: Struggles against Padres

Keller (1-3) allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits and one walk while striking out three across five innings to take the loss Friday against the Padres.

Keller worked in and out of trouble through three innings, but he kept the Padres scoreless. Things fell apart for him from there, with all five of his runs coming in his final two innings of work. Keller has never been a dominant pitcher, but his strikeout rate has dipped to 16.8 percent this season -- the lowest of his career -- which has led to inconsistent results. In seven starts to this point in the campaign, he has recorded four or fewer punchouts on five occasions.