HOUSTON -- Reliever Todd Wellemeyer doesn't have a defined role yet, but his successful outing Saturday night gave manager Buddy Bell an idea.

 

"There's some discussion about him being able to start," Bell said.

 

Wellemeyer hasn't started a game this season, In fact, he's made all 77 of his big-league appearances out of the bullpen.

 

But Wellemeyer, who made his second appearance for the Royals on Saturday, gave his club three solid innings in relief against the Astros. He allowed just one run on two hits with three strikeouts.

 

Still.

 

"He got tired really quick," Bell said.

 

Well, that would keep Wellemeyer from pitching too deep into ballgames if he does, indeed, start for the Royals down the road.

 

For now, Bell will take innings from Wellemeyer wherever he can get them. Wellemeyer can help spell the rest of the Royals' bullpen, which has pitched a league-high 239 1/3 innings. The 'pen also has the highest ERA (5.39) in the Majors.

 

"I like his arm," Bell said of Wellemeyer. "Obviously, we haven't seen him as much. I like the way he throws strikes, [but] because of his layoff that he's had, he's got to work back to where he was at."

 

Take a seat: Right-hander Bobby Keppel saw just three pitches in his first big-league at-bat on Saturday night against Astros right-hander Taylor Buchholz.

 

All three pitches whizzed by for strikes.

 

"He threw me a couple of sliders and a first-pitch fastball," Keppel said of Buchholz. "I was trying to make him throw me a couple of pitches for strikes."

 

Buchholz sure did, and Keppel returned to the dugout quickly. He didn't get a second at-bat, either, because he lasted just three innings in his start against the Astros.

 

Wellemeyer also got an at-bat in the fourth inning on Saturday night, yet he grounded out to second. It was his first at-bat this season and seventh of his career.

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/NASApp/ml...xt=.jsp&c_id=kc

Um, ok....

 

Talk about desperate.