Pirates' Mitch Keller Starts Home Opener

0:00It's April 2nd. Welcome in. This is MLB News Today, where baseball meets AI. The Pittsburgh Pirates are finally back at PNC Park after their road trip to kick off the 2026 season, facing the Baltimore Orioles in. Their home opener series, starting April 3rd. Mitch Keller takes the mound for the Bucks that day at 4-12pm, a nod to the 4-1-2 area code. It's his second straight year, starting the home opener. Keller bounced back strong in his first start this season, tossing six scoreless innings against the New York Mets on March 28th, though the Pirates fell 4-2 in extra innings. He owns a sharp 0.69 ERA in two career outings versus Baltimore, including a dominant 13 strikeout gym back in 20. Fans are buzzing about the rotation depth here, with Keller's experience anchoring things after last year's rough home debut against the Yankees. This series could set the tone early, especially with Pittsburgh eyeing a turnaround.

1:02Meanwhile, Carmen Molodzinski starts April 4th after fanning a career high 8 Mets in his debut, going 4.1 innings. Then Braxton Ashcraft closes it out. April 5th matching career bests with six innings against Cincinnati despite the loss. These young arms show promise, but stretching deeper into games will be key as the Pirates build momentum at home. Keep an eye on how they handle. Baltimore's lineup.