The Pittsburgh Pirates turned to their bullpen depth again before the second game of their four-game set with the Cincinnati Reds, bringing right-hander Antwone Kelly up from Triple-A Indianapolis on July 31.
To make room on the 26-man roster, Pittsburgh optioned left-hander Hunter Barco back to Indianapolis.
Barco had just worked three innings and thrown 72 pitches in the Pirates’ 3-2 loss to the Reds in the series opener on July 30, allowing two runs. Because he won’t be available to pitch in the next few days, the Pirates made the move to get another fresh arm in the mix after using five relievers in yesterday’s bullpen game.
Kelly could be used in a bulk relief role, but the immediate need is simple: give the Pirates someone ready to cover innings. He also hasn’t pitched since July 25, so he comes in rested for this one.
The Pirates’ bullpen mix now includes right-handers Kelly, Wilber Dotel, Ron Marinaccio, Carmen Mlodzinski, Noah Murdock and Yohan Ramírez, along with left-handers Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto.
This is Kelly’s third major league stint, and the first two didn’t go smoothly. He appeared in two games before being sent back down each time, allowing a two-run home run in 2.1 innings during an 8-3 loss to the Miami Marlins on June 12, then surrendering another two-run homer and an RBI double over two innings in a 14-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on July 12, both at PNC Park.
Back in Indianapolis for most of the season, Kelly has put together a 5-5 record across 13 starts and 19 appearances, with a 4.29 ERA in 77.2 innings. He has struck out 56 and walked 36, while posting a .248 BAA and a 1.40 WHIP.
His July work in Triple-A has been much sharper. In four outings and one start, Kelly went 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA over 17.0 innings, a .186 BAA and a 0.94 WHIP. That stretch included six scoreless relief innings in a 6-0 road win over Omaha on July 3, four scoreless innings in a start during a 13-6 road win over Columbus on July 18, and five no-hit innings in a 9-0 win over Lehigh Valley in his latest outing on July 25.
With the Pirates trying to keep pace in a crowded NL Wild Card race, they’re hoping Kelly can carry that Triple-A form back to the majors.
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