So far, so good for manager and bullpen

It’s inevitable: John Farrell will make a decision with his bullpen that backfires. He will get crushed for it, and he will, in all likelihood, continue to survive as Red Sox manager.

Give the 54-year-old some credit — he’s managed the you-know-what out of the Red Sox bullpen through the first two games of the season.

With Carson Smith out until June recovering from Tommy John surgery and Tyler Thornburg still waiting for his inflamed shoulder to get back to full strength, Farrell is working with a thin group. It’s a group that hasn’t allowed a run yet, with Farrell pulling the strings among Craig Kimbrel, Matt Barnes, Heath Hembree, Robby Scott and Joe Kelly through a pair of close games.

The ’ pen threw 72⁄ innings 3 without allowing a run, surrendering just four hits and a walk.

No, it didn’t always look good. Barnes allowed two inherited runners to score on Opening Day. Kimbrel made things interesting in the ninth that day, ending the game with the tying run at the plate.

But Farrell found a way to make it work, something he’s been doing since he took the job in 2013. In his time as Sox manager, the bullpen ranks fifth in the American League with a 3.68 ERA. And it’s not like they have invested a whole lot of money into the relief corps in the Farrell years.

The five relievers who’ve thrown the most innings in Farrell’s tenure are Junichi Tazawa, Koji Uehara, Craig Breslow, Robbie Ross Jr. and Barnes, in that order. The highest-paid player in that group was Uehara, who averaged less than $7 million per season in his four years here. The others never made as much as $4 million a year.

So what’s with any second-guessing over his reliever usage? Farrell might have contributed to that. He offered some confusing comments on Opening Day when he said he was going to ride the hot hands without giving out defined roles. It was different than what he said in the final week of spring training when Kelly was the guy he thought could handle the set-up responsibilities in the eighth inning with Thornburg on the shelf.

But Kelly showed poor control in his final spring appearances and Farrell changed his mind.

“Command,” Farrell said. “He’s had a couple outings of late where fastball command has been a little elusive, walks have been there. So just trying to get him a little momentum as he takes on added responsibility.”

Kelly was the sixth pitcher to be used in the Sox’ 12-inning 3-0 win over the Pirates on Wednesday. He touched 98 mph and allowed one hit in two perfect innings to earn the win. Kelly is now 13-0 since Aug. 1, 2015, giving him the longest active streak in the majors. His first 10 wins were as a starter.

As a reliever, he’s been even better. He went 172⁄ 3 innings while allowing only two runs with 21 strikeouts after his recall from Triple-A Pawtucket last year. He was used in big spots in the postseason.

Now, Farrell is making Kelly prove he can handle those same responsibilities, and Kelly is not surprised.

“No, (Hembree) and Barnes are throwing well and those are the guys that got the ball early on (Wednesday),” Kelly said. “There are so many guys in the ’pen that can pretty much do any kind of role. You’ve got more guys now because of injuries and stuff. No complaining when everyone is throwing the ball well. If we can do that 90 percent of the time throughout the year we’ll have a really good season as a bullpen and as a team as a whole.”

Kelly said his mechanics are still in flux.

“I feel fine,” he said. “Feeling good, body feels good. Mechanics are getting better but ball’s coming out of the hand good and my secondary pitches are getting a little bit more crisp.”

Kelly was one of five pitchers to throw one pitch at 95 mph on Wednesday.

“It was a well-pitched ball game from start to finish,” he said. “Everybody was throwing strikes and pounding the zone, especially on a night like that when it’s that cold. I think the pitcher usually has the advantage a little bit. But it was very fun to watch and obviously when everyone is pitching that well you don’t want to go out there and be that guy and mess it up for everyone else.”

Scott has been a pleasant surprise as Farrell’s go-to lefty while Ross shakes off some leftover rust. Fernando Abad nor Ross have yet to pitch this year.

When deciding whom to use, Farrell may change his mind often, switching up the roles along the way. And at some point, he’s going to screw it up.

But so far, so good.