Kelly's Game 3 struggles could alter 'pen plan
WASHINGTON -- Whatever wasn’t right with Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly’s body in September doesn’t seem right in October, either.
Kelly failed to retire any of the four batters he faced in the sixth inning Sunday night after he took over for starter Hyun-Jin Ryu following the Dodgers' seven-run explosion in an eventual 10-4 victory over the Nationals in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.
| Game | Date | Result | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gm 1 | Oct. 3 | LAD 6, WSH 0 | Watch |
| Gm 2 | Oct. 4 | WSH 4, LAD 2 | Watch |
| Gm 3 | Oct. 6 | LAD 10, WSH 4 | Watch |
| Gm 4 | Oct. 7 | WSH 6, LAD 1 | Watch |
| Gm 5 | Oct. 9 | WSH 7, LAD 3 | Watch |
Shop for postseason gear: It was Kelly's second appearance of the NLDS, after throwing only six competitive pitches over the final two weeks of the regular season because of an unspecified injury.
Kelly -- who had one three-walk outing during the regular season -- walked Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto, allowed a sharp single by Howie Kendrick to load the bases, wild-pitched Rendon home and walked Kurt Suzuki to reload the bases. Kelly was then replaced by Julio Urías.
“I feel good,” said Kelly. “I mean, I knew coming into the postseason I didn’t throw that much. But I get here early, try to get some work in and go from there, get ready for the game. If your body is feeling good, you know what’s going on.
"I feel good enough to get people out. We were a little cautious coming into the playoffs, but now that the playoffs have started, let’s get ready for today.”
Urías, Adam Kolarek, Kenta Maeda and Kenley Jansen allowed only one hit over the final four innings, with Jansen striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Manager Dave Roberts had said it was possible to see Jansen entering in the eighth inning instead of the normal ninth inning for a closer, intimating that he would use Kelly or Maeda to finish off a game. Kelly seems to have eliminated himself from that high-leverage possibility, while Maeda hasn’t allowed a hit or walk in his 2 1/3 innings in the series.
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“We’ve got so many good arms down there,” Kelly said. “Every time you leave guys on base, you know the way we’re built down there, we have good lefties, righties who can punch people out, so you know the damage will be limited. Our hitters had a great night offensively, and Urías came in and knows his stuff, plays if he just challenges hitters. He got a big double play and got out of the jam. It was awesome to see.”