Joe Starkey and I opened up this week’s “Beyond the Bylines” talking about the recent problems for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They dropped five of six games to the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers — the two best teams in the National League. Now they welcome the Miami Marlins, who have won five in a row and eight of 10.
The biggest issue of late might be Mitch Keller. He had another rough outing on Thursday, giving up five earned runs in four innings during an 8-6 loss to the Dodgers. His ERA is now 5.14, and Keller hasn’t finished the fifth inning in his past three starts.
We also debate Shohei Ohtani’s place in baseball history, the Pirates’ level of expectation, the great Stanley Cup Finals of years past and some recent Steelers contract extensions.
Plus, we dive into TV coverage of the NBA Finals, old Pitt basketball memories, my rotten Black Crowes concert experience in Ohio and Joe’s long-term viability as a financial planner.