MINNEAPOLIS — The meeting lasted longer than Joe Kelly did.
One day after getting rocked for seven runs in 12⁄3 innings against the Minnesota Twins, Kelly was called into manager John Farrell’s office to review what went wrong. And while the Red Sox appear to have decided to keep Kelly in the rotation, Farrell and pitching coach Carl Willis delivered a clear message to the struggling right-hander in a closed-door session that went on for nearly 20 minutes.
To be effective, Kelly must use his curveball more often.
“I contend and strongly believe that his curveball is a major weapon that’s got to be used in his pitch mix,” Farrell said, pointing to a May 21 start against the Texas Rangers in which Kelly offset his blazing fastball with an effective breaking pitch.