Jared Kelley already made his Double-A debut as part of Project Birmingham last year, but he actually merited a promotion to the Barons for the first time on Wednesday.
Kelley's performance in Winston-Salem didn't stand out, but that's because he dug himself a hole with some ugly work in the Dash rotation. When the Sox moved him to the bullpen in a long-relief/piggyback role, his fortunes improved immensely. He opened his relief career with 14⅓ innings of one-run ball, and even with some regression over his final three outings, he still did a better job of forcing hitters to get him in trouble:
- As starter: .322/.444/.509, 13 BB, 14 K over 72 PA
- As reliever: .177/.266/.281 12 BB, 33 K over 109 PA
From here, the question is "Which mean is Kelley regressing to?" If it's the standards of your typical good reliever, then better days should be on the horizon. If his Birmingham debut -- four runs on two hits and three walks over two-thirds of an inning -- foreshadows the immediate future, then he might be sliding towards his career norms.
Memphis 9, Charlotte 6
- Yoán Moncada went 3-for-5 with a strikeout.
- Lenyn Sosa was 0-for-5 with a K.
- Mike Mayers' organizational debut: 3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 HR
Birmingham 11, Chattanooga 8
- Terrell Tatum went 1-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base.
- José Rodríguez, 1-for-5 with a double and a strikeout.
- Bryan Ramos was 2-for-4 with an HBP.
- Alsander Womack, 0-for-2 with three walks. He was also caught stealing.
- Luis Mieses went 3-for-5 with a strikeout.
- Yoelqui Céspedes, 0-for-4.
- Adam Hackenberg was 1-for-3 with a walk, HBP, two strikeouts and a stolen base.
- Jared Kelley: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Winston-Salem 8, Jersey Shore 7
- Jacob Burke went 2-for-4 with a double, HBP and a strikeout.
- Colson Montgomery was 1-for-4 with a walk.
- Wilfred Veras, 2-for-5 with a strikeout and a CS.
- Loidel Chapelli singled, walked and struck out twice.
- Josimar Cousin: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP
Carolina 13, Kannapolis 2
- Brooks Baldwin went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
