Pete Abraham @PeteAbe 49s50 seconds ago
#RedSox optioned Kelly. Recalled Noe Ramirez. They can skip that spot next time.
#RedSox optioned Kelly. Recalled Noe Ramirez. They can skip that spot next time.
Kelly optioned, Ramirez up
- Thread starter DeadlySplitter
- Start date
I think they can skip that spot twice consecutively, if I'm reading the schedule correctly.
DD has work to do.
DD has work to do.
I would stick with a five man rotation, putting Buchholz in Kelly's spot. It doesn't make sense to keep Buchholz and Kelly on the same pitching staff, as they are both terrible, but Buchholz wins the competition over Kelly because he can't be optioned out.
It is as simple as that--Kelly has options and Buchholz does not and so Kelly goes to Triple A and Buchholz stays with the Red Sox.
If the Red Sox trade for a starter, and I hope they do, Buchholz is deactivated/released while Kelly continues to provide depth in AAA as the 6th starter.
It is as simple as that--Kelly has options and Buchholz does not and so Kelly goes to Triple A and Buchholz stays with the Red Sox.
If the Red Sox trade for a starter, and I hope they do, Buchholz is deactivated/released while Kelly continues to provide depth in AAA as the 6th starter.
They dont need a 5th starter until the Mariners series that starts on the 17th, so no need to start either of them for a couple rotations.
Here's how it would line up right now:
tomorrow - Porcello
Toronto this weekend - Price, Wright, EdRod
@ SF 6/7-8: Porcello, Price
@MIN 6/10-12: Wright (5 days), EdRod (5 days), Porcello
BAL 6/14-16: Price (5 days), Wright, EdRod
SEA 6/17-19: Porcello, ??, Price
We have two weeks to figure something out.
tomorrow - Porcello
Toronto this weekend - Price, Wright, EdRod
@ SF 6/7-8: Porcello, Price
@MIN 6/10-12: Wright (5 days), EdRod (5 days), Porcello
BAL 6/14-16: Price (5 days), Wright, EdRod
SEA 6/17-19: Porcello, ??, Price
We have two weeks to figure something out.
Last edited:
That means Kelly gets 3 starts with Pawtucket to see if he can straighten things out, right?
Meanwhile, how does Buchholz get work in?
Meanwhile, how does Buchholz get work in?
This will cost DD.
A lot.
My guess is he tries to find a low cost reclamation project to buy time before he goes that route
Kelly is a total enigma to me. Incredible talent - 99 mph fastball with movement, pretty nasty breaking ball.... just cannot seem to get people out with any consistency whatsoever.
I could have seen other CEO/GMs not sending Kelly down to avoid looking "panicky." And I'm glad that DD did not fall into that. My guess is that other teams already know he's looking for another starter so there's no illusion of calm to protect.
As much as sending Kelly down could look "panicky", isn't it easily explained as the easiest means to get a fresh arm up for the bullpen? The alternative to do so would have been shipping out Hembree who didn't pitch and is "fresh" or Barnes who has been pretty solid and likely only needs one day off after his outing. Sending Kelly down when they can get by without a 5th starter for at least 10 days makes sense even if Kelly hadn't totally shit the bed.
I doubt they would have sent Kelly down if he had pitched well or even decently. I don't recall prior instances when a solid starter was sent down when the schedule allowed them to go to a 4-man rotation for a few weeks. Given the collective memory of folks here, I would assume that someone will point an example out...but it doesn't happen often, either way.
To me, this move is less about a fresh arm than getting the train wreck that has been Kelly out of the rotation and down to Pawtucket where he can work out his mechanics or whatever else that is affecting him without making it much harder for the Sox to win games during that process. Noe Ramirez could help but to me that is a secondary benefit.
Regardless, I'm just glad that DD seemingly isn't allowing outside perceptions to impact his decision making. He's been consistent with that all season so this is not a surprise. Still, I'm glad to see it continuing now with Kelly.
I wouldn't be opposed to seeing Barnes go 3 innings the next time through and then 4 the following- piggyback him with Clay to see if the two can approximate a decent start and to see if Barnes can at least give DD some cover that he's got a decent enough no. 5....???????
Has had a couple good outings at AAA but more bad ones:
04/30/2016 @SYR 0 1 4.50 0 6.2 5 4 3 5
05/06/2016 ROC 0 0 4.71 0 5.0 6 3 7 4
05/12/2016 @SWB 0 1 5.76 0 4.0 11 5 2 2
05/18/2016 NOR 1 0 4.96 0 7.2 5 2 0 13
05/25/2016 LHV 1 0 4.28 0 7.1 3 1 2 8
05/30/2016 @GWN 0 0 4.60 0 5.0 6 4 4 4
(headers are W L ERA Save Innings H ER BB K)
Hembree was sent to Pawtucket to make room for EdRo, so he can't even be recalled until 6/10 without placing someone on the DL.
Farrell has no long man in the pen. And he won't for a few more days, after trying to get 4 IP out of Buchholz. But by requesting Ramirez for call-up instead of Cuevas, he's ensured he still won't have one. So this move can't be spun with a story about needing a "fresh" arm three days after Wright's complete game.
But I still don't see it as a "panicky" move, either. It's a simple and direct message to Joe Kelly.
Now, my belief is that there's just no pitcher who's available before June 18th, who both wouldn't cost the farm in a crippling overpay and would project to be significantly better on a going-forward basis than Squirrelly Buchholz. And Squirrelly Buchholz projects better than JoKe, simply because that HR/9 has to regress from 1.77 back toward his career 0.88.
The Sox just need to limit the damage done by skipping the 5th starter until 6/18, and remember the 1-3 starters are really pretty good.
There is a related cause though, and that is that Kelly's bad start emptied the bullpen, so they needed another arm in case Porcello can't get it to the short guys today.
I can't see this as a panic or a "message." Do we think Joe Kelly isn't trying? He is what he is.
But the bullpen isn't emptied at all. It's only Buchholz who's completely spent.
Even after last night's pitching crapfest, Layne can go an inning. Ramirez, Tazawa, Uehara, and Kimbrel obviously can. Barnes might be able to, but should be avoided. But Ross can probably go two. If you're really that worried about extra innings, it's Wright's day to throw a side session.
Porcello only really needs to get through 2 IP today. And if you wait for Wright to get his work in, he doesn't even really need to get 6 outs.
DD has shown that he is very decisive, very glad to see it continue with Kelly. He knows he needs another starter and they'll come up with a solution by the 18th, whether it be, Elias, Buch or a new acquisition.
Maybe it's a semantics thing about the meaning of the "message". I agree that they aren't sending Joe a "message" that he needs to try harder ... the "message" is that he isn't going to be given the opportunity to learn fastball command at the major league level.
But if, he is what he is, as you say, then I don't know what criteria the Sox will use to determine if he's figured something out in his mechanics or whatever to command the fastball better. It seems he's shown the ability to do it at times, but those times are short are far between. I'm starting to think that the idea that Kelly can figure something out and become a reliable pitcher is approaching lunacy. I have more confidence in Clay, and I have very little confidence in Clay.