John Farrell: ‘No decision’ to take Joe Kelly out of the Red Sox starting rotation
Joe Kelly had a disastrous start Monday in Minnesota, conceding seven earned runs and recording just five outs in a loss to the Twins.
Red Sox manager John Farrell defended Kelly in his postgame comments, and it appears the skipper isn’t ready to give up on a starting role for the hard-throwing but wildly inconsistent right-hander just yet.
“There’s no decision here in this moment,’’ Farrell said via MLB.com. “He’s shown us the ability to go out and work deep in a ballgame. There’s no denying the stuff. It’s a matter of consistent location with his fastball. When he’s in those games where the runs have come about, it’s typically been mislocated fastballs that found their way to the plate.’’
Kelly is 1-4 on the season, with his earned run average ballooned to 6.24. His performance Monday was the first time all season that a Sox starter failed to make it through the second inning.
Matt Barnes replaced Kelly on Monday and pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings of long relief, lowering his personal ERA to 2.25 and doing nothing to quell the notion that the Red Sox would be wise to give one of their young arms a shot to bolster a rotation that has managed to disappoint despite low expectations.
CSNNE.com’s Sean McAdam reports Kelly is “on thin ice’’ and Eduardo Rodriguez is the favorite to earn a promotion to the big leagues if any of the current starters are replaced. Rodriguez boasts a 2.98 ERA and 1.10 WHIP at Triple-A Pawtucket, and teammate Brian Johnson has a 2.92 ERA and a team-high 48 strikeouts through nine starts.
Kelly’s next turn in the rotation falls Saturday in Texas, a team he threw seven strong innings against on May 20.
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