Pirates' Chris Devenski, Don Kelly Suspended by MLB for Throwing at Reds' Sal Stewart

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chris Devenski has been suspended for two games after MLB determined he intentionally threw a pitch at Cincinnati Reds rookie Sal Stewart on Saturday.

Devenski was initially assessed a three-game suspension before it was reduced by MLB to two games as part of a settlement, per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Pirates manager Don Kelly has also been suspended for one game, MLB announced Tuesday. Both suspensions came with undisclosed fines.

The incident took place after Devenski struck Stewart in the top of Saturday's seventh inning. He was ejected from the game following the play.

Should Kelly file an appeal, the suspension would not take place until MLB responds, per MLB.com's Jason Mackey.

If the suspensions take place as scheduled, the Pirates would start out this week's road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks without Kelly.

That could be a blow for the Pirates' hopes of building on their recent sweep of the Reds, which was highlighted by a 17-7 rout on Saturday.

The Pirates, a team with a chance to finish above .500 for the first time in 11 seasons that has struggled with bullpen depth down this early stretch, called up Devenski from Triple-A Indianapolis on April 29.

Devenski made two appearances during the Pirates' recent four-game sweep by the St. Louis Cardinals before he stepped in late in Saturday's blowout win.

He threw his first pitch of the inning just after Stewart called time and stepped out of the box.

Reds manager Terry Francona said after the game he thought Devenski "didn't like" that Stewart had called for a timeout, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Devenski denied having intentionally aimed at Stewart when speaking to reporters after the game.

"Going hard in to start an at-bat. Know the guy likes to dive over, and that's about it," Devenski said after his ejection. "Just trying to execute my pitch there, and I think he took it the wrong way."

Unless any appeals are filed, the Pirates will be without Kelly and Devenski when the first game of this week's series against the Diamondbacks tips off Tuesday night at 9:40 p.m. ET in Arizona.

The Pirates will look to get a more consistent bullpen performance this week by potentially turning back to relievers like Mason Montgomery, Isaac Mattson and Dennis Santana, who should be rested after not seeing any action last weekend against the Reds.