Pirates fans are missing the point with Don Kelly's decision to pull Bubba Chandler

The outrage over Don Kelly pulling Bubba Chandler after five innings Sunday is understandable on the surface. The Pittsburgh Pirates had a lead. Chandler had only allowed two runs. And the bullpen, once again, let the game spiral into a frustrating 7-6 extra-inning loss against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.

But Pirates fans blaming Kelly for taking the ball away from Chandler are missing the bigger picture entirely.

This wasn’t some reckless over-managing decision. It was the exact kind of long-view thinking the Pirates have preached all year with their young arms — and frankly, the kind of thinking they have to stick to if they want Chandler healthy and effective over 162 games and beyond.

Don Kelly backlash over pitching management ignores the real problem facing the Pirates

Kelly said afterward that Chandler’s target was around 80 pitches because he was pitching on regular rest. He finished at 77. The plan was established beforehand, and Chandler himself clearly understood it. Development matters more than winning a random game in May.

And if we're being honest, Chandler wasn’t exactly dominating through those five innings. Effective, yes — but this wasn’t vintage Paul Skenes steamrolling hitters with 65 pitches through seven innings. Chandler allowed five hits, had several loud contact moments, and three of the five hits he allowed came on 1-0 pitches in the zone. The fourth inning nearly got away from him, but he did a great job limiting walks and pounding the strike zone.

Also factoring into Kelly's decision to pull Chandler was the fact that the Pirates had a rested bullpen featuring Dennis Santana, Gregory Soto, Mason Montgomery and Isaac Mattson. On paper, that absolutely should have been enough to secure 12 outs.

The real issue is that Pirates fans no longer trust the bullpen to protect leads, and that frustration is fair. Pittsburgh’s relief corps has been wildly volatile all season outside of Santana and Soto anchoring the backend. But that’s not on Kelly for managing Chandler responsibly.

In fact, if fans really want to direct anger somewhere, it should probably be toward general manager Ben Cherington for constructing a bullpen that still feels one or two reliable arms short despite the team hanging around contention.

Kelly’s job Sunday wasn’t to chase one extra inning from Chandler at the risk of overextending a prized young pitcher in May. His job was to manage the season. He didn't fail that plan; the bullpen did.

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