Shelton: 'I'm not saying I'm right' about pitch count/innings

Another start for Jared Jones and it was another great outing.

Not only was Jones allowed to pitch through the sixth inning, he did so with the bases loaded and the pitch count clock running.

That's a little different from the last start when Jones threw only 59 pitches, 50 for strikes.

It was assumed that the decision to pull Jones was coming from upper management.

But, General Manager Ben Cherington raised eyebrows during his 93.7 The Fan when it said "the staff decided on their own we're going to hold him a little bit short this time," meaning it wasn't a directive from Cherington, but rather Shelton and his staff's decision.

Speaking during his weekly show on 93.7 The Fan, Manager Derek Shelton said the strategy with their pitchers isn't a perfect science.

He called the decision a collaborative effort and said Cherington was aware that Jones' outing would be shortened but didn't know when he would be pulled.

So why only five innings?

"Ultimately, this is why it's my decision and this is something we have talked about since then," said Shelton. "Do we know we're right at five innings? No, I'm not telling you we do, just like I'm not telling you that anybody in the game knows how we're going to prevent any type of injuries or everything that's going on."

"I'm not saying 59 pitches was right, I'm not saying I'm right," added Shelton.

He added they are monitoring Jones' innings pitched and since that 59-pitch inning they are having more discussions about their process.

"Not saying that process is right or we have it to the point of like we got this nailed down, but it's something we will continue to talk about," said Shelton

Shelton says when Jones started against the Mets, he had determined it was going to be a five-inning start.

Shelton says looking back he maybe should've allowed Jones to pitch a little longer.

Jones threw 91 pitches over six innings in his win on Monday against the Brewers.