NLDS Update: Joe Kelly

[samscherer]

Joe Kelly pitched in the 9th inning of Game 2, trying to salvage the mess that Jansen left him, which was one run to work with, a man on first, and Tatis at the plate. Kelly got it done, but he looked pretty bad, honestly. He continued to shy away from throwing his fastball, which seems to be a total mystery because his fastball can touch 100 mph. His curve, unfortunately, was not looking nearly as crisp as it had since he returned from injury and suspension. He walked Tatis and Machado with mostly noncompetitive pitches before getting Hosmer sharply ground out to end the inning and seal the win for the Dodgers.

I have no idea what Kelly’s role will be in the NLCS. I think he probably will remain a high leverage reliever due to his stuff and experience. He’s not getting hit, he just isn’t throwing strikes, either. It’ll be very interesting to see how the Dodgers use him in this upcoming series. He is not high on the list of guys I’d go to in a one-run game vs the top of the Braves lineup, however.