After 'vote of confidence,' Kelly passes test
CHICAGO -- Out of necessity as much as choice, manager Dave Roberts gave the ball to Joe Kelly with the game on the line on Thursday, and the embattled Dodgers reliever got the job done.
Kelly pitched around Javier Baez’s 370-foot single off the right-field wall in a scoreless eighth inning to set up Kenley Jansen’s eighth save in a 2-1 win over the Cubs.
Kelly came into the game with a 9.82 ERA after 10 games. But before the game, Roberts said he was confident the right-hander would get back on track.
“You look at the pitch mix, for me, he has three plus pitches,” said Roberts. “Right now, I don’t want to say bad luck and I’ve talked to Joe, it’s missed execution and the pitch sequencing isn’t where it should be. There’s a predictability, when you have weapons like Joe has, to not be as dynamic in an at-bat, you’re doing yourself a disservice and not minimizing your margin for error.”
With the back of Dylan Floro’s pitching shoulder sore after being struck by a batted ball during batting practice on Tuesday, Roberts again turned to Kelly on Thursday. The night before, Kelly entered in the seventh inning with the Dodgers trailing by three runs, hit Kris Bryant in the shoulder with a 96 mph fastball with two outs and Anthony Rizzo followed with a double that put the Cubs ahead, 7-3. Chicago hung on to win, 7-6, so the run Kelly allowed was decisive.
“It should show a vote of confidence,” Roberts said. “It’s one thing to talk to a player and tell him you believe in his stuff and you need him. And to back that up and put him in leverage, that really sends a message to him. As far as the sequencing, the fastball driving in, the shape of breaking ball, the changeup, to me, this is as good as we’ve seen him so far.”
The Dodgers have a three-year, $25 million investment in Kelly, whom they envisioned would pick up a large share of the setup load in the bullpen. The signing came two months after Kelly dominated the Dodgers in the World Series as a member of the Red Sox.
But as a Dodger, Kelly has allowed 19 hits, including three homers, in 12 innings. Roberts said pitch execution is up to Kelly, but the blame on the sequencing of pitch selection is shared.
“It’s on all of us,” Roberts said. “He has the ball, the catcher has the fingers. But I manage the club, we have a pitching coach, we all have to take responsibility to put him in the best position to have success. I expect him to get considerably better. I think he’s very frustrated and upset with himself, which I like in a player. I don’t think he doubts his ability.”
Urias as an opener?
After using Julio Urías in relief of Kenta Maeda trailing by six runs on Tuesday night, Roberts was asked about reversing the order and using Urias as an “opener.”
“That’s fair,” said Roberts. “It’s a thought. We see both as starters. It’s a good point of discussion. I don’t think we’ve really considered it, but it’s a good thought.”
One complication is that Maeda’s contract is heavily incentivized for starts and innings pitched, but that’s been the case since he signed in 2016. In that time, Maeda has frequently been used in relief, especially in the postseason, but there has never been an adjustment made to his contract that would give the club the flexibility to utilize him out of the bullpen while not penalizing the player financially.
Roberts said Urias will be available to pitch again on Friday, when Hyun-Jin Ryu is scheduled to start. Although the Dodgers don’t want Urias to pitch on back-to-back days, Roberts said Urias does not have a rigid routine and is flexible in his usage.