The first step to solving a problem is admitting there is one. Joe Kelly took that first step Sunday.
Kelly mostly breezed through his first start with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox since being demoted to the minors last week. The 27-year-old right-hander needed just 95 pitches to get through seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk and striking out four batters in the PawSox’s 3-2, 11-inning win over the Gwinett Gladiators.
In six of those innings, Kelly went relatively unscathed. But the one that went wrong was a microcosm of the reasons for his demotion by the Boston Red Sox.
Kelly’s “bad” frame was the fourth, in which he gave up both runs on three hits. The unearned run is a bit misleading — Kelly gave up three singles in the inning, and the error that caused the second run to be unearned was on an RBI single that right fielder Quintin Berry misplayed, allowing the runner to move up to second base. Both runs essentially still were Kelly’s fault.
To be fair, Kelly induced a grounder to second base on the next play that, without the error, might have been an inning-ending double play. Instead, the runner advanced to third on the grounder and eventually scored. Three singles and two runs isn’t terrible by any means, but it’s that type of hiccup that a major league team turns into a crooked number on the scoreboard.
Further, Kelly’s command wasn’t quite where it needed to be. He threw just 16 first-pitch strikes to the 24 batters he faced, according to the Providence Journal. Commanding his dominant fastball — or rather his inability to — has been the source of Kelly’s troubles and subsequent demotion. He typically was able to work around a first-pitch ball and avoid favorable counts for hitters deeper in at-bats, but again, major league hitters make pitchers pay for even the most miniscule of mistakes.
On the first RBI hit, Kelly fell behind the batter 2-0. On the other, Kelly went ahead 0-2, threw a ball and then gave up the hit. It’s those situations where he needs to be better.
That said, Kelly will take seven innings of two-run ball at this point. Any progress is good progress, and he was happy with the way things shook out.
“The fastball command was a lot better,” Kelly told the Journal. “It’s important obviously to get ahead of hitters with well-located fastballs, especially against this team which is aggressive. I tried to get some quick outs and easy outs.”
When new Red Sox pitching coach Carl Willis was hired last month, he made a point of emphasizing that he wanted Boston’s pitchers to throw to their strengths, not the batters’ weaknesses. Kelly did a lot of that Sunday, as he reportedly shook off catcher Luis Martinez several times to work more of his breaking and offspeed pitches into his repertoire.
“I made a conscious effort to mix some pitches today and throw inside to hitters,” Kelly said, “and I feel like I was able to do that effectively.”
Learning to establish the inside part of the plate effectively could do wonders for Kelly, who at his best hits 98 mph with his fastball and works in a devastating changeup. Pitching inside was what made former Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez so great. It’s the hallmark of any successful power pitcher.
Kelly still has a lot of work to do, and he might never win that Cy Young he predicted, but Sunday was a step in the right direction for someone with so much potential. At worst, it showed Kelly’s awareness of changes he needs to make and a willingness to do so. And on Day 1 of this Joe Kelly Makeover, recognizing the problem probably is the best thing the Red Sox could’ve asked for.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@Jared_Carrabis
