Don Kelly’s pitching decisions have become increasingly difficult for the Pittsburgh Pirates to defend.
The latest example came Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. Bubba Chandler had completed 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowed only two hits, and retired eight consecutive batters. His pitch count stood at 84, and the Pirates’ bullpen had already covered five innings in the opening game of the doubleheader.
Don Kelly Pitching Decisions Raise Serious Questions for Pirates
Don Kelly still went to the bullpen.
Brandon Eisert walked the first hitter he faced before allowing two consecutive run-scoring hits. Within three batters, a scoreless game had become a 2-0 Pirates loss.
One decision does not determine whether a manager is qualified for the job. A growing pattern of conservative pitching changes during a postseason race can.
Don Kelly Pitching Decisions Have Created a Pattern
Chandler’s removal was not an isolated moment.
On July 8, Jared Jones threw six perfect innings against the Atlanta Braves. He had struck out eight of the 18 hitters he faced and needed only 77 pitches to complete the sixth.
Jones never returned for the seventh.
The decision had a legitimate medical explanation. Jones underwent internal-brace surgery in May 2025 and was making only his eighth start since returning. The Pirates had every reason to protect one of their most talented young pitchers, especially after such a significant elbow procedure.
Still, the result exposed the risk of Pittsburgh’s approach. The bullpen lost the perfect game immediately and eventually surrendered three runs in a 3-0 defeat. Jones admitted that leaving while history remained possible was difficult, even while understanding the organization’s caution.
Jones’ case cannot be treated exactly like Chandler’s. One was returning from surgery. The other was well-rested, healthy, and pitching his best game of the season.
Together, however, they reveal the same problem. Kelly has repeatedly removed a dominant starter because of predetermined workload concerns, then handed the game to a relief corps that has not earned that level of confidence.
The Pirates already know the bullpen remains their clearest roster weakness. Managing as though the relievers are automatically the safer choice ignores what has happened throughout the season.
Chandler Had Earned the Seventh Inning
Chandler’s outing against New York should have been the easiest decision.
His first two innings were uneven. He walked the first hitter of the game and briefly struggled to locate his pitches. By the third inning, he had corrected his delivery and taken complete control. His fastball touched 102 mph, his slider produced swings and misses, and he retired eight straight hitters before leaving.
Kelly cited Chandler’s nine-day layoff and the organization’s desire not to push a young pitcher. He also referenced the two hits Chandler allowed during the second inning. Those concerns would have made more sense if Chandler were losing command, allowing hard contact or showing an obvious reduction in stuff.
None of that was happening.
Chandler had thrown 84 pitches. He had recorded one out in the seventh. The Pirates were playing the second game of a doubleheader after their relievers had already handled five innings earlier in the day. Pittsburgh’s offense had not scored, making every remaining out more valuable.
Even Chandler acknowledged that he was beginning to lose some steam, but he also said he wished Kelly had left him in the game. The pitcher closest to the situation believed he could continue. His performance provided no clear reason to disagree.
There is no guarantee Chandler would have completed the inning. He could have allowed the same runs Eisert surrendered. Managers are judged by the quality of their decisions, not only by results.
The quality of this decision was questionable before it failed.
Pirates Must Adjust to Their Bullpen Reality
A manager cannot handle every pitching staff the same way.
Teams with dominant bullpens can remove starters at the first sign of trouble and create favorable matchups for the final nine outs. Teams with unstable relief groups have to extract more from their starters, especially when those starters are controlling the game.
Pittsburgh belongs in the second category.
The bullpen entered the second half with a 4.48 ERA, the fourth-worst mark in the National League. The results did not improve during the six-game road trip through Cleveland and New York. Pittsburgh went 3-3, but the relievers blew one game against the Guardians and contributed heavily to the nightcap loss against the Yankees.
A depleted bullpen should make Kelly more willing to ride an effective starter—not more eager to make a change.
The Pirates do not need their starters to throw 120 pitches or finish every game. They need flexibility. A pitcher cruising at 85 pitches should not be treated the same as one laboring through five innings at 100.
The game situation has to matter. The available relievers have to matter. The pitcher’s stuff, command, health and recent workload all have to matter.
Kelly’s decisions have too often felt as though the organization selected an endpoint before the first pitch and refused to reconsider it once the game began.
Pittsburgh’s Rotation Is Built to Carry the Team
The Pirates’ greatest advantage is their starting pitching.
Paul Skenes gives Pittsburgh a legitimate ace. Jones has recently rediscovered his dominant form. Chandler has shown the ability to overwhelm major-league lineups when his command is present. Mitch Keller remains capable of providing valuable innings when he executes, while Braxton Ashcraft earned an All-Star selection before struggling in his first start after the break.
The Pirates entered the season with unusual rotation depth. That depth was supposed to ease pressure on the rest of the roster.
It cannot do that from the dugout.
The Pirates have also received evidence that Khristian Curtis could eventually help the rotation. His five scoreless innings during his major-league debut showed why Curtis should remain in Pittsburgh’s starting plans rather than being converted permanently into a reliever.
Pittsburgh’s organizational strength is developing starting pitchers. Kelly’s responsibility is to maximize that strength at the major-league level.
That means trusting them when they are pitching well.
Protecting Pitchers Cannot Eliminate Competitive Judgment
Modern managers face pressures that are invisible during the game.
Pitching plans are often built with front-office executives, medical personnel, analysts and coaches. Kelly may receive workload recommendations that leave him with less freedom than the public realizes. Jones’ surgically repaired elbow clearly required additional caution, and Chandler had not pitched in nine days.
Those factors deserve consideration.
They should not eliminate managerial judgment.
Kelly was hired to manage the game in front of him. If every decision is dictated entirely by a spreadsheet, workload calendar or predetermined pitch range, the person in the dugout becomes little more than a messenger.
There are moments when the manager has to recognize that the original plan no longer fits the circumstances. Chandler retiring eight consecutive Yankees while the bullpen was already taxed was one of those moments.
Kelly did not need to promise Chandler the entire game. He could have allowed him to finish the seventh and reassessed afterward. One additional batter, one additional out or one additional inning could have protected the most vulnerable part of the roster.
Instead, Kelly chose the bullpen before Chandler gave him a baseball reason to do it.
Kelly’s Future Depends on Better Decisions
Kelly deserves credit for helping the Pirates remain competitive. Players appear to respect him, and the team entered Thursday at 53-50, only half a game outside the final National League Wild Card position. Pittsburgh has also gone through difficult injuries and stretches of poor performance without falling out of the race.
That does not place his decisions beyond criticism.
Managers are most valuable in close games, when one pitching change, matchup or tactical choice can determine the outcome. Pittsburgh expects to play more of those games during the final two months. Kelly has to show he can manage them with the urgency and awareness of a postseason contender.
Don Kelly’s pitching decisions will not always work. No manager reaches the correct result every night. The larger concern is whether his process adapts to the roster he actually has.
The Pirates have talented starters and an unreliable bullpen. Continuing to remove the former early and expose the latter is not a sustainable strategy.
If Kelly cannot become more flexible, trust his best pitchers and recognize when the game demands a departure from the plan, Pittsburgh will eventually have to ask a more serious question.
He may not be the right manager for the opportunity this roster has created.
Main Photo Credits: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
