PITTSBURGH — Take Jeff Karstens out of the park — or he’s taking you out.

The 28-year-old Pirate right-hander will toe the rubber in Toronto tonight knowing that if he prevents the home run, he’s likely to win.

Karstens has allowed only 25 earned runs all season despite allowing 14 home runs. Ten of the last 11 homers he’s allowed have been solo shots.

“I don’t throw very hard,” Karstens admitted. “I have to win the guessing game and that requires doing some homework.”

Because Karstens doesn’t overpower hitters, his mistakes can leave the yard. But he hasn’t been allowing much traffic on the basepaths to accompany those longballs.

The result has been amazing consistency.

Until allowing three earned runs to Boston in his last start, Karstens went nine consecutive starts of allowing two earned runs or fewer.

“Jeff has been doing an unbelievable job,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. “It’s been fun to watch him grow up and mature at this level.

“He’s become a thinking man’s pitcher. He pays attention to hitters’ tendencies and how they swing at certain pitches.

“Simply put, he’s figured out how to get guys out.”

Before this season, Karstens had a record of 9-22 with a 4.95 earned run average in parts of three years with the Pirates, including 3-10 with a 4.92 ERA last year.

This year, he is 5-4 with a 2,.66 ERA — fifth-lowest ERA among National League starters — and he’s walked only 17 batters in 84.2 innings pitched.

In his last 44.2 innings pitched, Karstens has allowed but two non-intentional walks.

“Command has been a big part of what I’m doing,” Karstens said. “My goal is to go six innings in every start. Anything beyond that is a bonus for me.

A high innings count is the next hurdle for Karstens to get over.

“You’d love for any of your starters to be capable of throwing 200 innings for you,” Huntington said. “Jeff’s worked very hard on his stamina and getting in the physical shape required to do that.”

Karstens threw a career-high 122 innings last year and is on pace to shatter that total this season.

In the meantime, he’s paying attention to everything that’s happening on the diamond, whether he’s on the mound that day or not.

“I have to,” he said. “I’ve learned up here that you have to look for an edge at all times.

“I go over each hitter in the opposing lineup with the catcher a couple of hours before each start. We make sure we’re on the same page from the very first pitch.”

Dealing with so many catchers this season — particularly young guys because of injuries — hasn’t deterred Karstens in any way.

“Those guys we called up from the minors are doing a fantastic job,” Karstens said. “The catcher calls the game. If I shake him off and throw something different from what he called, I explain why in the dugout after the inning.

“We discuss it. A pitcher and catcher have to work together.”