With the starting rotation struggling to pitch deep into games and lefty
Eduardo Rodriguez already on the disabled list because of a spring-training knee injury,
Joe Kelly walked off the mound in the first inning Tuesday night against the
Tampa Bay Rays.
Kelly was diagnosed with what the team termed a "right shoulder impingement." Additional details were not immediately available.
Kelly lacked his typical mid-90s velocity, with his fastball sitting mostly at 89-90 mph. He exhibited little command, threw only 10 of his 23 pitches for strikes and walked two of the first three batters.
After Kelly fell behind 3-0 to cleanup hitter
Corey Dickerson, pitching coach
Carl Willis went to the mound but returned to the dugout without any
sign that Kelly was injured.
The next three pitches were all fastballs -- 92, 93 and 94 mph, respectively. Kelly struck Dickerson out, but after his final pitch, catcher
Ryan Hanigan and the entire infield gathered at the mound.
First baseman Hanley Ramirez motioned to the dugout, and after a lengthy conference with manager
John Farrell and Pearson, Kelly left the game.
Kelly missed the final month of last season because of a strained shoulder, but he showed no sign of the injury during a strong spring training. In his first two starts this season, he gave up seven runs in three innings April 8 against the
Toronto Blue Jays and two runs in five innings April 13 against the
Baltimore Orioles.eliever
Heath Hembree, who was recalled from Triple-A
Pawtucket earlier in the day, replaced Kelly and struck
Desmond Jennings out to end the inning.
Entering play Tuesday night,
Red Sox starters had combined to throw 66 2/3 innings, fifth-fewest in the
American League, ahead of only the
Yankees,
Tigers,
Indians and Orioles, all of whom had played fewer games.
Asked before the game if he was concerned that the bullpen has been overworked early in the season,
Farrell said, "We have to have starters go through the order three times and hopefully get 21 outs as more of a regularity."
- published: 20 Apr 2016
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