Joe Kelly's Inconsistency on Mound No Stranger To Dodgers' Dave Roberts

Maren Angus-Coombs | Aug 26, 2024

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

With one out in the top of the 10th inning on Saturday night, Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly faced Tampa Bay Rays infielder José Caballero.

Kelly, who had been dominant in his previous three appearances, made a costly mistake by leaving a slider over the middle of the plate. Caballero didn’t miss it, launching a two-run homer to left-center field, giving the Rays a 9-7 lead.

The Dodgers managed to score one run in the bottom half of the inning but ultimately fell short, losing 9-8.

While the loss was tough for the Dodgers, Kelly's performance was a major talking point.

The veteran right-hander had been on a roll, pitching three hitless innings across his last three outings. However, Saturday's game left Dodgers manager Dave Roberts frustrated. Kelly gave up a double and the decisive home run, leading to questions about his consistency.

“His last [three appearances] were great, efficient, strike-throwing,” Roberts said. “Today, he got the first out and left a slider middle-middle that was hit for a homer. … As far as inconsistencies, I just don’t know the answer. Sometimes he’s lights out, and other times he labors. It’s something we’ve got to dig into.”

With Saturday’s loss, Kelly’s record dropped to 1-1 on the season, and his ERA climbed to 4.85. The game marked his first appearance since Aug. 20, and his struggles continued in high-leverage situations. Opponents are now slashing .286/.366/.486 against him with runners in scoring position.

The game had a rough start for the Dodgers, with Clayton Kershaw allowing four runs on four hits in the first inning. Though his teammates managed to erase the deficit, Kershaw acknowledged that it wasn’t the ideal start.

“Yeah, that first inning can’t happen,” Kershaw admitted. “Get behind that much that early, it’s tough to come back from. But our team showed what they can do tonight. They came back and battled. I can’t say enough good things about what these guys did offensively.”

The Dodgers clawed back, cutting Tampa Bay's lead to 4-3 in the fourth inning and then taking a 6-5 lead after scoring three more in the fifth. The bullpen initially held strong, with Ryan Brasier, Blake Treinen, and Michael Kopech limiting damage. However, Kopech’s 10.1-inning scoreless streak ended in the eighth, and Evan Phillips gave up another run in the ninth.

Joe Kelly, now in his 13th major league season, was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 2009 draft. Throughout his career, he has pitched for the Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, Dodgers, and Chicago White Sox, with flashes of brilliance but also bouts of inconsistency that continue to challenge him and his teams.