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.¡±
Ur¨ªas, 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 Ur¨ªas 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.¡±