Kelly's quality start goes for naught in loss

BOSTON -- The Red Sox were unable to capitalize on another solid pitching performance from Joe Kelly on Wednesday night, taking a 2-1 loss to the Rangers at Fenway Park.

Kelly tossed seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits in the loss. He's now pitched at least six innings and allowed two earned runs or fewer in his past two starts.

The few mistakes Kelly did make came early in Wednesday's game. Back-to-back singles by Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland and a sacrifice fly by Elvis Andrus in the second inning plated a run for the Rangers, before Robinson Chirinos belted a solo shot in the third.

"After the third inning, he really settled in. Used his curveball a little bit more. He started to elevate his fastballs for strikeouts," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "And on a night when he wasn't completely healthy in terms of some illness he was dealing with, he threw the ball exceptionally well."

Kelly's fastball hovered between 94-95 mph in the first few frames, but it reached as high as 98 mph in the late innings.

The right-hander relied heavily on his fastball on a night when his secondary pitches weren't as crisp.

"My fastball was working for me tonight. I gave up a lot of hits on my offspeed, and my slider wasn't breaking like it normally did," Kelly said. "I couldn't really throw a changeup over the plate. I made some pitches when I had to and had command of my heater."

Video: TEX@BOS: Kelly attempts to barehand hard-hit ball

The Rangers hit shots up the middle throughout the game, with one even clipping Kelly's hand in the third inning. Farrell and a Red Sox trainer went out to check on him, but Kelly was able to shake it off and stay in the game. His right hand was wrapped in gauze after the game.

"He takes the one-hopper off the hand that after the initial sting went away, it didn't affect the way he threw the baseball," Farrell said. "Got a couple of big strikeouts with men in scoring position."

With Wednesday's loss, Kelly is 0-3 in his last seven starts, matching the longest winless stretch of his career. The right-hander's only win came in his first start of the season against the Yankees.

"It's baseball. We lost. The guy over there pitched a good game," Kelly said. "Sometimes you have to tip your hat."