Thursday’s “First Call” has evidence of how well-liked Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was by his former Indianapolis teammates. An ex-Pitt Panther quarterback is getting another NFL chance. The Penguins’ AHL club is looking to advance in the Calder Cup playoffs.
And Mitch Keller tries to stay hot in the Pirates’ series finale in Arizona.
Still kickin’
Nate Peterman is getting another NFL shot.
The former Pitt Panther will have a tryout this weekend at the Denver Broncos’ rookie minicamp. That’s according to Mike Klis of 9News.
Peterman is now 32 years old. He did not have a job in the NFL last season. He was a 2017 draft choice out of Pitt in the fifth round by Buffalo.
The last snaps Peterman took were with Chicago in 2023. He was most recently with New Orleans, Las Vegas and Atlanta in 2024.
In his career, Peterman has five starts under his belt with a 53.1 completion percentage, 712 yards, four touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Praise for Pittman
New Steeler Michael Pittman Jr. left an impression with at least one of his former teammates in Indianapolis.
Josh Downs posted his most recent “Downs 2 Business” podcast with his brother Caleb (now a rookie with the Dallas Cowboys). The Colts receiver talked about how much he’ll miss Pittman’s presence in the locker room now that he has signed in Pittsburgh.
“He was a leader in the room and a great guy as well. Ultimate competitor as well. He’s a crazy dude. He’s actually hilarious. It’s kind of sad to see him go,” Downs said. “You grow to be friends with these guys. It’s so cutthroat and business-oriented in the NFL. You don’t know what’s going to happen or when it’s going to happen. Then, boom! It just goes like that.”
The Colts were able to retain fellow receiver Alec Pierce in free agency, but Pittman was dealt to the Steelers and subsequently inked a three-year, $59 million contract extension.
“When a pillar of your team leaves, it’s a huge thing,” Downs added. “You’re excited for them and their future, because they get a new opportunity. New city. New team, and a whole lot of different things can happen for him. Excited for him in that manner, but definitely sad to see him go.”
Indy added Nick Westbrook-Ikhine from Miami to mitigate the loss of Pittman. He has 1,862 career receiving yards, 137 catches and 19 touchdowns. They also drafted wide receiver Deion Burks from Oklahoma in the seventh round.
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Rubber match
Mitch Keller takes to the mound Thursday in Arizona for the Pirates. Of late, that’s been good news for the Bucs.
The team has won its last three games when Keller has started. Individually, Keller has picked up victories in two of those starts. One of them was a 6-3 win over Tampa Bay. The other was a 9-1 drubbing of Cincinnati on Friday. That snapped a five-game Pirates losing streak.
The game in between was a 6-3 defeat of Milwaukee in 10 innings on April 25. In those three trips to the mound, Keller has logged 19 innings, allowing just six earned runs. Over that span, he has 17 strikeouts and just three walks.
Currently, Keller is sitting at 3-1 with an ERA of 2.85.
Keller has started three games at Chase Field in his career. He is 1-0 with a 2.33 ERA, 13 strikeouts and eight walks.
The Pirates (20-17) and Diamondbacks (17-18) have split the first two games of this series. Keller will be opposed by Zac Gallen. The right-hander is 1-2 with an ERA of 4.45. He’ll toss the first pitch at 3:40 p.m.
Looking to advance
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins own a 2-1 advantage in their best-of-five Atlantic Division semifinal series against Hershey. Game 4 is Thursday night at the GIANT Center. Faceoff is at 7 p.m.
A win for the Pens and they advance to the next round. They are in this position thanks to an overtime winner in Game 3 by Rutger McGroarty.
GOAL. Rutger McGroarty re-directs one in past Clay Stevenson, and the #WBSPens come back and win Game 3 4-3 in OT.@InsideAHLHockeypic.twitter.com/6EUvv8Ja5E
— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) May 6, 2026
The Pens forced the extra session thanks to an Avery Hayes goal with just over three minutes left. Sergei Murashov made 26 saves.
If a Game 5 is necessary, the Penguins will host it at 6:05 p.m. Saturday at Mohegan Arena. The winner of the series gets either Providence or Springfield. The series stands at 2-1 in favor of Springfield.