Pirates' Keone Kela: Rough start continues

Kela surrendered one run -- a solo shot to Anthony Rendon -- in one inning Friday. He struck out one batter without issuing a walk.

Kela's throwing hard but his velocity is down a tick (from 97.4 mph to 96.4 mph) and he's failed to hold the lead three times in seven opportunities. By comparison, the righty blew seven saves in his first four seasons (196 appearances) combined. He's also yielded three home runs in his last five outings. The Pirates shut him down last Sept. 3 because of an increase in high stress innings -- he pitched 38.2 innings in 2017 and 52 innings in 2018 - but the additional time off hasn't helped him thus far in April.