In a big moment yesterday, with the Dodgers leading by one and the bottom half of the sixth inning dawning, Dave Roberts turned to a right-handed pitcher known for velocity and velocity:
Joe Kelly.
True to form, Kelly tore through the thick of the Padres’ order, inducing a popout from Manny Machado, striking out Eric Hosmer on three fastballs, walking Hunter Renfroe (probably intentionally, to get to Manuel Margot), and drawing a groundout from Margot to end the frame. He threw only one off-speed pitch. He tickled 99 on the radar gun a number of times. He disemboweled San Diego’s professional baseball team, pushing his own one win closer to wrapping up the NL West, something he (and they) might do as soon as early next week.
All of which leads one to say:
Sorry, haters.
Joe Kelly is on fire. His season-to-date ERA is rapidly approaching the three’s. His ERA since Joe Kelly Bobblehead Night is a microscopic 1.13 (second-best in baseball over that time period among pitchers with 20 or more innings). He hasn’t allowed a run in over a month.
Our hero is pitching like a machine, striking out more batters than ever before, walking fewer batters than he has since he was a starter, and throwing the baseball very hard. Let the haters hate. Let them chirp. Let them doubt. Joe Kelly will keep striking batters out.
