Keone Kela does not need to prove he can get outs in late-inning, high-leverage situations.
He converted 24 of 25 save opportunities last season with the Rangers before being traded to the Pirates last July. He had a 2.39 ERA in 68 games as a rookie with Texas in 68 games in 2015, a 2.79 mark in 39 games in 2017 and a 3.29 mark in a combined 54 games with the Rangers and Pirates last year.
So, it takes a lot to shake Kela’s confidence. And even though he says he has never lost belief in himself during a rough stretch to start the season, he knows it is good for a reliever's soul to have a strong outing.
Thus, he smiled easily after Sunday’s game even though the Pirates dropped a 3-2 decision to the Giants at PNC Park. That ended the Pirates’ five-game winning streak, though they still have the best record in the National League at 12-7.
Kela came on in the seventh with the Pirates down 3-2 and retired the top of the Giants’ lineup in order. He got Steven Duggar to ground out and Gerardo Parra to fly out before striking out Buster Posey swinging at a curveball to end the inning.
It was Posey who had given the Giants the lead in his previous plate appearance in the fifth, the six-time All-Star connecting for a three-run home run off Chris Archer (1-1).
That was a refreshing change of pace for Kela, whose ERA is 7.04 through nine appearances. He has given up three home runs in just 7 2/3 innings after allowing five longballs in 52 innings last season.
“I’m still working, still trying to get in a groove and find my rhythm,” Kela said. “Today was definitely a happy moment. It’s huge, man. I think that a lot of guys, though, have instances where they have some rough going. I’ve just got to keep grinding and it’s a situation where it’s been more of a mental thing than a physical thing.
“Today, I was able to kind of hone in on my skills and forget what I was doing. Just go out there and have fun.”
The Pirates need Kela to perform well if their plans of being a contender are to come to fruition. He has electric stuff and is the best choice to serve as the eighth-inning reliever in front of Felipe Vazquez.
Getting Kela on track would also be a boost to a pitching staff that already leads the major leagues with a 2.54 ERA. That is why all the amateur pitching coaches have been theorizing why he has struggled.
The Pirates shut Kela down in early September because of arm fatigue but he says he is healthy this season and last year’s move was precautionary. He also won’t fall back on the lame excuse of tipping pitches.
So there goes those two theories. To Kela, the root of his troubles has been simple.
“I’ve made some bad pitches and they’ve got hit,” Kela said. “I know I’m capable of much better. I’ve done it before.”
That is why Clint Hurdle did not hesitate to bring Kela into a close ballgame, despite his four blown saves in the first 3 ½ weeks of the season. The manager also knows that relievers need the occasional shot of confidence.
Kela last pitched Tuesday night in Detroit and gave up the tying run in the ninth inning, though the Pirates rallied to beat the Tigers in 10 innings.
“It was a good clean inning and every pitcher wants a good clean outing every time they step on the mound,” Hurdle said. “I wanted to get him out there. There was a little more distance (between appearances) that we wanted, but it was good to see him go out and pitch well.”
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE GOOD
Josh Bell has been hitting the ball hard since opening day. In fact, his rate of hard-hit balls -- with an exit velocity of at least 95 mph -- is 54.3 percent this season.
Bell scalded yet another ball in the fourth inning, connecting on a 409-foot home run that carried onto the concourse behind the right-field stands. The blast came off Dereck Rodriguez (3-2) and accounted for both Pirates’ runs.
The key to his success, according to Bell, is keeping things simple.
"It's nice working in the cage pre-game every day and it's just about timing and nothing else and it's just about seeing the ball and nothing else," he said.
Through 19 games, the switch-hitting first baseman is batting .303/.385/.591 with a team-high four home runs and 15 RBIs. No other Pirates player has driven in more than nine runs.
“I’m very pleased,” Hurdle said when I asked him about Bell. “I had a schoolteacher tell me she was pleased but not satisfied when I got my grades and was doing work. Pleased but not satisfied. I’ll tell you if I’m satisfied at the end of the year. I just like the effort, the energy he’s playing with. I love the way he’s not getting too high when things are going well and not too low when there are little lulls.”
THE BAD
The game ended with Jung Ho Kang getting thrown out at the plate as he tried to score the tying run.
Kang appeared as though he was going to ground into a game-ending double play when he hit a ball right at shortstop Brandon Crawford with one out and a runner on first. However, Crawford bobbled the ball and only had time to get a force out at second base.
Rookie Bryan Reynolds then hit an opposite-field double into the right-field corner. When the ball took a funny hop off the wall, third base coach Joey Cora sent Kang home.
However, second baseman Joe Panik’s relay throw from right fielder Steven Duggar easily beat Kang.
THE OTHER SIDE
Posey's home run was his first in 237 at-bats, dating to last June 19 when he connected against the Marlins. It came off a changeup and went 409 feet to the shrubbery in center field.
The homer helped the Giants for just the second in six games on their eight-game road trip. San Francisco improved its record to 9-14.
"It's always nice to check that box and not have a goose egg up there," Posey said.
THE DATA
• Archer is 0-3 against the Giants in three career starts.
• Bell is hitting .615 (8-for-13) with runners in scoring position this season.
• The Pirates and Giants have both hit 16 home runs, tied for fewest in the National League.
• The Pirates have given up just 13 runs in their last six games, though their ERA rose from 2.52 to 2.54 on Sunday. That mark still leads the major leagues.
• Melky Cabrera’s 119 assists are most among active major-league outfielders.
THE INJURIES
• Starling Marte, outfielder, is on the 10-day IL with a bruised abdominal wall and bruised right quad and is out indefinitely.
• Erik Gonzalez, shortstop, was placed on the 60-day IL with a fractured right clavicle and is out until at least late-June.
• Gregory Polanco, outfielder, is recovering from left shoulder surgery and is on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis but could be activated from the IL this week. He is 6-for-20 with a double, six RBIs, two stolen bases, two walks and eight strikeouts in five games.
• Corey Dickerson, outfielder, has a strained right shoulder. He is throwing and hitting but the expectation is for him to be out until late April/early May.
• Lonnie Chisenhall, outfielder, is out with a broken right hand and on a rehab assignment with Indianapolis. He is 1-for-6 in two games.
• Kevin Newman, infielder, has a lacerated right ring finger, is taking part in baseball activities and could begin a rehab assignment in the next few days.
• Jacob Stallings, catcher, was placed on the IL on Sunday with a cervical neck strain and is out indefinitely.
• Jose Osuna, first baseman/outfielder, is in extended spring training in Bradenton, Fla. and participating in all baseball activities.
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates open a four-game series with the Diamondbacks at 7:05 tonight at PNC Park. Joe Musgrove (1-1, 0.81) will start against Zack Godley (1-1, 6.26). Matt Sunday and I will be on the coverage.
THE COVERAGE
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MATT SUNDAY GALLERY