TORONTO (Interstat) — Mitch Keller rebounded from two rocky outings to pitch six solid innings, and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre in front of 41,354 fans.

Keller allowed one run on four hits with five strikeouts, improving his record to 5-2. The right-hander had lost his previous two starts, giving up a combined 10 earned runs over 11 1/3 innings against St. Louis and Colorado. On Sunday, he worked efficiently, keeping the Blue Jays off balance until leaving after the sixth inning.

Gregory Soto earned his fifth save of the season with a scoreless ninth, striking out one. Dylan Cease took the loss for Toronto, falling to 3-3 after allowing two runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out eight but walked two.

Pittsburgh struck first in the opening inning when Spencer Horwitz launched his fifth home run of the season to right field off Cease. Horwitz finished 1-for-4 with the RBI.

The Pirates added to their lead in the second when Oneil Cruz hit his 11th homer of the year, also to right field, making it 2-0. Cruz went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Toronto answered in the fourth inning. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked and moved to second on a single by Yohendrick Piñango. After a strikeout and a flyout, Ernie Clement singled to left field, scoring Guerrero. Clement’s hit cut the Pirates’ lead to 2-1, but Keller escaped further damage by getting Andrés Giménez to line out sharply to right.

The score remained 2-1 until the top of the sixth. Endy Rodríguez walked to lead off the inning. Esmerlyn Valdez then crushed his first home run of the season to right field, a two-run shot that extended Pittsburgh’s advantage to 4-1. Valdez finished 1-for-3.

Keller retired the side in order in the bottom of the sixth, striking out Kazuma Okamoto and inducing groundouts from Jesús Sánchez and Ernie Clement.

Pittsburgh’s bullpen took over from there. Yohan Ramírez pitched a third of an inning, allowing one hit but no runs. Mason Montgomery worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out two and scattering no hits. Soto closed the door in the ninth, working around a hit-by-pitch and a walk before striking out Daulton Varsho to end the game.

Toronto put together a threat in the bottom of the seventh. Brandon Valenzuela doubled with one out, and George Springer walked. But Daulton Varsho grounded into a fielder’s choice and Lenyn Sosa grounded out to third, ending the inning.

The Blue Jays managed only five hits in the game. Valenzuela had a double and a walk, and Clement drove in the lone run. Cease was effective early, striking out eight, but the two solo home runs in the first two innings put Pittsburgh ahead, and the bullpen could not keep the deficit close.

Braydon Fisher and Yariel Rodríguez each threw a scoreless inning for Toronto. Mason Fluharty allowed one hit but no runs in two-thirds of an inning. The Blue Jays’ offense went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.

Pittsburgh finished with six hits. Horwitz and Valdez homered, and Jake Mangum added a single and a hit-by-pitch. Oneil Cruz also singled. Bryan Reynolds singled and stole a base.

The win improved the Pirates to 27-26 on the season. Toronto fell to 25-29. Pittsburgh had lost the first two games of the series, falling 5-2 on Friday and 6-2 on Saturday. The Pirates now return home to face the Chicago Cubs in a four-game series beginning Monday. Toronto will host the Miami Marlins for three games starting Monday.

Keller’s performance was the key. He had struggled in his previous two starts, allowing 10 earned runs in 11 1/3 innings. On Sunday, he mixed his pitches effectively, keeping the Blue Jays off balance and inducing weak contact. He allowed only one extra-base hit, a double by Okamoto in the second inning, and worked out of a jam in the fourth with minimal damage.

Valdez’s two-run homer in the sixth inning proved to be the decisive blow. The rookie right fielder connected on a 1-0 pitch from Mason Fluharty, sending it over the right-field wall. It was his first career home run and gave the Pirates a three-run cushion.

Pittsburgh’s defense also contributed, turning a double play in the first inning to erase a Toronto baserunner and limiting the Blue Jays’ chances.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Toronto 5, Pittsburgh 3. Interstat’s ELO system had given Toronto a 60.60 percent probability to win. The Blue Jays were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of five went over the over/under line of 7.5.