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There was a moment Thursday afternoon at Chase Field when it felt like the Pittsburgh Pirates were headed toward a frustrating loss<\/a> instead of another series win.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mitch Keller couldn\u2019t find the zone. The command wasn\u2019t there. Arizona was squaring him up early, and after falling behind on eight of the first 13 batters he faced, things were starting to trend in the wrong direction fast.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Then Joey Bart stepped in. Not with a big swing \u2014 though he eventually provided that, too<\/a> \u2014 but with a message.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joey Bart on what worked for Mitch Keller in the latter innings here today when he was able to get ahead of hitters more often. \u2014 From Jos\u00e9 Negron in Phoenix pic.twitter.com\/1h15g4D1Ju<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPghSports) May 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Keller described his first three innings<\/a> against the Diamondbacks as \u201cpretty sporadic,\u201d which might have been putting it mildly. Adrian Del Castillo had already driven in a run with an RBI single in the first. Corbin Carroll added a solo homer in the third. Keller was constantly pitching behind in counts, laboring through innings instead of dictating them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That\u2019s usually a recipe for disaster, but Bart pulled Keller aside between innings and challenged him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI told him, \u2018Let\u2019s go. Let\u2019s do better.\u2019 In a nice way,\u201d Bart told reporters afterward.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Pirates catcher knows Keller well enough now to understand how to push the right buttons. Some pitchers need technical adjustments. Others need calming down. Keller, apparently, needed confidence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Suddenly, the game flipped. Keller started attacking the strike zone. From the fourth through the sixth innings, he retired nine consecutive Diamondbacks hitters and looked like an entirely different pitcher from the one who stumbled through the opening frames.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By the time Don Kelly lifted him after a leadoff single in the seventh, Keller had turned a shaky start into yet another quality outing<\/a>: six-plus innings, two earned runs, four hits, two walks and four strikeouts on just 84 pitches.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If Keller melts down early, Thursday probably looks very different. Instead, the Pirates settled in, Zac Gallen finally cracked in the fifth inning, and Pittsburgh rallied for a 4-2 win to secure its fourth consecutive road series victory against a National League opponent for the first time since 2015.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bart helped in more ways than one, too. He went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, continuing what has quietly been a better stretch offensively as of late.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But Thursday served as a reminder that catchers impact games in ways the box score never fully captures. In helping Keller reset before he spiraled, Bart may have prevented the game from unraveling entirely.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
Joey Bart helped Mitch Keller find his command in Pirates series finale vs Diamondbacks<\/h2>\n