Tough break for him and the Giants. Pichardo has shown signs of promise. In five seasons, he has a 3.39 ERA in the minors and was just optioned down to AAA. This hurts his progress but he should be able to stay on track.Major League Baseball suspended RHP Kelvin Pichardo 50 games following a positive PED test.
Pichardo, 23, has yet to make an appearance at the major league level and probably won't make the jump this season. He went 2-4 with a 2.48 ERA in 48 appearances for Double-A Connecticut in '08. Pichardo is the third player to be suspended this year, following J.C. Romero of the Phillies and Sergio Mitre of the Yankees.