With one out in the 10th inning on Saturday night, relief pitcher Joe Kelly of the Los Angeles Dodgers faced infielder José Caballero of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Kelly, who had been dominant in his previous three appearances, made a costly mistake by letting a slider over the middle of the plate. Caballero didn’t miss it, hitting a two-run homer to left-center field, giving the Rays a 9-7 lead.
The Dodgers managed to score a run in the second half of the inning, but it was not enough and they lost 9-8.
Although the loss was tough for the Dodgers, Kelly’s performance was a big talking point.
The veteran right-hander has been in top form, pitching three hitless innings in his last three appearances. Saturday’s game, however, frustrated Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Kelly allowed a double and the game-winning home run, raising doubts about his consistency.
“His last (three appearances) have been great, efficient and throwing a lot of strikes,” Roberts said. “Today he got the first out and left a slider up the middle that led to a home run. … As far as the inconsistency, I just don’t know what to say. Sometimes he’s great and sometimes he struggles. That’s something we’ll have to examine.”
With Saturday’s loss, Kelly’s season record fell to 1-1 and his ERA rose to 4.85. The game was his first appearance since Aug. 20, and his problems in high-pressure situations remain. Opponents are now hitting .286/.366/.486 against him when runners are in scoring position.
The game got off to a rocky start for the Dodgers, as Clayton Kershaw allowed four runs on four hits in the first inning. Although his teammates were able to catch up, Kershaw acknowledged it wasn’t the ideal start.
“Yeah, the first inning can’t happen,” Kershaw admitted. “When you’re down that far that early, it’s hard to catch up. But our team showed what it can do tonight. They came back and fought. I can’t say enough good things about the performance of these guys on offense.”
The Dodgers fought back and cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 4-3 in the fourth inning. They took a three-run lead in the fifth to make it 6-5. The bullpen held up well at first, with Ryan Brasier, Blake Treinen and Michael Kopech limiting the damage. However, Kopech’s 10.1-inning scoreless streak ended in the eighth inning and Evan Phillips allowed another run in the ninth inning.
Joe Kelly, now in his 13th season in the major leagues, was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 2009 draft. During his career, he pitched for the Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Dodgers and Chicago White Sox, showing moments of brilliance but also periods of inconsistency that have continued to pose a challenge for him and his teams.
