PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mitch Keller pitched into the seventh inning, Nick Gonzales delivered an RBI double and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Saturday.
Keller (6-3) kept Atlanta in check for 6 2/3 innings to win his fourth consecutive start. The right-hander gave up one run on six hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Keller is 4-0 with a 1.30 ERA in May and has worked at least five innings in each of his last 42 starts, the longest active streak in the majors.
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mitch Keller pitched into the seventh inning, Nick Gonzales delivered an RBI double and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Saturday.
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher David Bednar (51) celebrates with catcher Yasmani Grandal after the team's win over the Atlanta Braves in a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. The Pirates won 4-1. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher David Bednar delivers during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Nick Gonzales (39) scores on a sacrifice fly by Edward Olivares off Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo López during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, center, meets former Pirates pitchers from the 1979 World Series Championship team, left to right, Bert Blyleven, Kent Tekulve, and Don Robinson before a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo López delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo López delivers during the third inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Atlanta Braves' Matt Olson, right, is greeted by Chadwick Tromp after scoring on a single by Jarred Kelenic off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz, top, dives to score on a double by Nick Gonzales off Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo López during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
“I think (I'm) just filling the zone up, attacking guys, getting ahead and staying ahead, using the full mix of my arsenal," Keller said. “I’ve got a lot of pitches, so the more I can use it, the more it keeps them off-balance.”
Perhaps just as importantly against the Braves, Keller returned to the mound following a 30-minute rain delay in the fifth. He worked through the middle of Atlanta's order in the sixth and got the first two outs of the seventh before being lifted after hitting Zack Short.
“I was hoping he’d get us three outs and the fact that he got us five outs was huge,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of Keller. “That’s the story of the game. How sharp he was.”
Bryan Reynolds had two hits for Pittsburgh, including a run-scoring single in the seventh that gave the Pirates a little breathing room on a day they wore throwback caps to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the 1979 team's World Series title.
Several players from that club — including Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven, reliever Kent Tekeulve and two-time National League MVP Dave Parker — were honored before the first pitch.
Gonzales doubled and scored for the Pirates and is hitting .307 with 14 RBI in 15 games since being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis. The 24-year-old hit just .209 in 35 games in the majors last season because of what he called “holes” in his swing.
Those “holes” have shrunk considerably so far in 2024.
“I’m just in a better position with my swing and timing and getting a good swing off,” Gonzales said.
Pittsburgh's bullpen, which struggled in a pair of late collapses to San Francisco earlier in the week, avoided a meltdown against the Braves. Colin Holderman retired four of the five batters he faced after replacing Keller. David Bednar induced Ronald Acuna Jr. into a game-ending fielder's choice with two on in the ninth to pick up his 11th save.
Atlanta's Reynaldo López (2-2) wasn't quite as sharp as he's been during the best two-month stretch of his nine-year career. The right-hander — who began the day with a 1.54 ERA, third-lowest in the majors — only retired the Pirates in order once and was dinged by the bottom half of the lineup during 4 2/3 so-so innings. López gave up three runs, two earned on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings as his ERA ticked up to 1.75.
The Braves offense managed just one extra-base hit off Keller, a double by Ozzie Albies in the first. Jarred Kelenic provided an RBI single in the fourth but Atlanta did little else while suffering a second straight loss.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Pirates: 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) has resumed full baseball activities. It's unclear whether the Gold Glove winner, out since May 7, will need a rehab assignment before returning. ... C Jason Delay (knee) is scheduled to begin a rehab stint at Triple-A Indianapolis next week.
UP NEXT
The series wraps up on Sunday when Atlanta's Chris Sale (7-1, 2.22 ERA) goes for his seventh win in as many starts. Martín Pérez (1-3, 4.80), winless since April 4, gets the nod for Pittsburgh.
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Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Jimmy Herget delivers during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher David Bednar (51) celebrates with catcher Yasmani Grandal after the team's win over the Atlanta Braves in a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. The Pirates won 4-1. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher David Bednar delivers during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Nick Gonzales (39) scores on a sacrifice fly by Edward Olivares off Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo López during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, center, meets former Pirates pitchers from the 1979 World Series Championship team, left to right, Bert Blyleven, Kent Tekulve, and Don Robinson before a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo López delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo López delivers during the third inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Atlanta Braves' Matt Olson, right, is greeted by Chadwick Tromp after scoring on a single by Jarred Kelenic off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz, top, dives to score on a double by Nick Gonzales off Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo López during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims used the early morning hours Monday to perform the second day of the symbolic stoning of the devil, as noontime summer heat caused heatstroke among thousands wrapping up the Hajj pilgrimage.
The final days of the Hajj coincide with Muslims around the world celebrating the Eid al-Adha holiday.
The stoning of the pillars representing the devil takes place in Mina, a desert plain just outside the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. A third stoning is scheduled Tuesday, before the Farewell Tawaf, or circling the cube-shaped Kaaba in Mecca.
The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. All Muslims are required to make the five-day Hajj at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do so.
More than 1.83 million Muslims performed Hajj in 2024, slightly less than last year’s figure of 1.84 million, according to Saudi officials.
The Hajj rites largely commemorate the Quran’s accounts of Prophet Ibrahim, his son Prophet Ismail and Ismail’s mother Hajar — or Abraham and Ismael as they are named in the Bible.
The rites have taken place under the soaring summer heat, which is expected to reach 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) in Mecca and the sacred sites in and around the city, according to the Saudi National Center for Metrology.
“Of course, it is something very hard and tiring. The temperature is abnormal compared to the past years and this affects us a lot,” said Ahmed Al-Baradie, an Egyptian pilgrim, after finishing his second symbolic stoning.
More than 2,760 pilgrims suffered from sunstroke and heat stress on Sunday alone at the start of the first round of stoning, according to the Health Ministry. Jordan announced Sunday that 14 Jordanian pilgrims had died from heatstroke.
The number of pilgrims on the roads leading to the pillars Monday morning decreased significantly compared to Sunday.
Carrying an umbrella against the burning sun, Pakistani pilgrim Khoda Bakhch visited the stoning site on Monday morning and planned to return at sunset. “After two or three hours, it (temperature) may be too much," he said.
Security forces, medics and first responders have been deployed in and around Mina, especially on roads and open areas to direct and help pilgrims.
“I am really impressed by the preparations,” Sani Abdullah, a Nigerian, told The Associated Press, adding that he was used to such burning heat in his country. “I have never encountered any problems. Everything is going smoothly.”
Mina is where Muslims believe Ibrahim’s faith was tested when God commanded him to sacrifice his only son Ismail. Ibrahim was prepared to submit to the command, but then God stayed his hand, sparing his son. In the Christian and Jewish versions of the story, Abraham is ordered to kill his other son, Isaac.
The stoning began Sunday, a day after the pilgrims visited the sacred Mount Arafat where they spent their day in worship and reflection. The ritual in Mount Arafat, known as the hill of mercy, is considered the peak of the Hajj pilgrimage.
The pilgrims collected the pebbles, which they have used in the symbolic stoning of pillars, from Muzdalifa, an area located a few kilometers (miles) away from Mount Arafat.
The Hajj is one of the largest religious gatherings on earth. The rituals officially started Friday when the pilgrims moved from Mecca’s Grand Mosque to Mina, then to Mount Arafat. They then return to Mina, where they spend up to three days, each casting seven pebbles at three pillars in a ritual to symbolize the casting away of evil and sin.
While in Mina, the pilgrims visit Mecca to perform a “tawaf,” or circumambulation, which is circling the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque counterclockwise seven times. Then another circumambulation, the Farewell Tawaf, will mark the end of the Hajj as pilgrims prepare to leave the holy city.
Once the Hajj is over, men are expected to shave their heads, and women to snip a lock of hair in a sign of renewal.
Most of the pilgrims then leave Mecca for the city of Medina, about 340 kilometers (210 miles) away, to pray in Prophet Muhammad’s tomb, the Sacred Chamber. The tomb is part of the prophet’s mosque, which is one of the three holiest sites in Islam, along with the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
This year’s Hajj came against the backdrop of the devastating Israel-Hamas war, which pushed the Middle East to the brink of a regional conflict.
The war has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians in the besieged strip, according to Gaza health officials, while hundreds of others have been killed in Israeli operations in the West Bank. It began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip weren’t able to travel to Mecca for the Hajj this year because of the closure of the Rafah crossing in May, when Israel extended its ground offensive to the city on the border with Egypt.
Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Paramedics carry a muslim pilgrim for a medical check after he fell down due to a heat stroke at pillars, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A pilgrim prepares to cast stones at a pillar in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Muslim pilgrims arrive to cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Muslim pilgrims arrive to cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Muslim pilgrims arrive to cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Paramedics carry a muslim pilgrim for a medical check after he fell down due to a heat stroke at pillars, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
