MLB

Brewers 5, Pirates 2

I can’t say I’d fully trust Aaron Civale in a postseason series, but he has a believer in manager Pat Murphy — and that’s all that matters. In his final tune-up before October, Civale was precise, pitching six scoreless frames to lower his ERA to 4.36.

It’s hard to evaluate Mitch Keller. For one, the 28-year-old put forth a strong showing in 2022, finishing with a 3.91 ERA and 2.0 WAR. That year led many to believe Keller could potentially be No. 2 starter in a good rotation. That hope hasn’t come to fruition, however. If anything, the right-hander has regressed from two years ago, wrapping up this campaign with an 11-12 record and 4.25 ERA.

Keller took the loss yesterday, allowing three earned runs over five innings. The Pirates need Keller to perform at the level of Jared Jones in 2025.