Little-used Kelly breaks out in series clincher
MIAMI — And so grows the legend of Don Kelly.
At risk of losing his job with the impending return of Dee Gordon, the 36-year-old utilityman delivered what he called the best game of his regularseason career Wednesday in an 11-1 Marlins win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Kelly went 3 for 5 with two triples, two RBIs and two runs scored, as unlikely a hero as any in the Miami lineup.
Consider: Kelly, slotted in as the No. 8 hitter and starting at first base, entered the day batting .045 (1 for 22) since his call-up earlier this month. He had no extra-base hits and one RBI in those 12 games. He had seven triples in parts of nine major league seasons.
The weeks of ineffectiveness washed away with a trio of line drives: to center for a single, to right for a triple and to right-center for a triple. The last of those plated Adeiny Hechavarria and Miguel Rojas during a fourrun sixth inning that chased Philadelphia starter Zach Eflin (five innings, seven runs). Kelly’s finishing touch came when he leaned into the stands to catch a popup for the penultimate out of the game.
“This game is tough,” Kelly said afterward, with a smile that suggested this day was not particularly tough.
“When you’re struggling a little bit at the plate and you go up there and you’re grinding it out, you just have to have that faith that eventually it’s going to bust open for you. Today I was able to pull through.”
Kelly noted that he had a little trouble rounding second base on the first triple, but the second was smoother. Maybe the practice helped, he said.
“He was like an old car,” third baseman Martin Prado said. “Get it going, and after a
while it just starts running.”
Itall came on a busy day at Marlins Park, with the unveiling of the 2017 All-Star Game logo and the usual highlight reel from Giancarlo Stanton (leaping catch, homer) and a scoreless outing from lefty Adam Conley (6 2⁄ innings). 3
Anat-times electric crowd of 32,403— the team’s thirdlargest home gathering this season behind two April games (including Opening Day) — witnessed the Marlins’ third series win in four
tries since the All-Star break.
After the on-field logo reveal pregame, Stanton reminded everybody pretty quickly there’s more to be excited about here than an exhibition game 50 weeks away. His leaping grab of Tommy Joseph’s fly ball to deep right field ended the top of the first with a runner on base. In the bottom half, Stanton hit a laser of a tworun home run to left. It bounced off the orange State Farm ad 427 feet from home plate and back onto the field.
That was plenty of support for Conley, who scattered eight hits and three walks while fanning six. It was the best start of the best month of his season. In five July games, Conley posted a 1.82 ERA and 1.15 WHIP while striking out 27 batters in 29 2⁄ innings. 3
He also had a hit and two RBIs Wednesday.
Conley’s biggest test came in the sixth. He loaded the bases on two walks and a single, but struck out Tyler Goeddel — on an 86-mph slider down and in — and induced a harmless fly ball to center off the bat of Taylor Featherston to escape the jam.
“I’m sure [Conley is] gaining confidence as the season goes,” manager Don Mattingly said. “He’s starting to feel the importance of every outing.”
As for that roster spot for Gordon? Mattingly said he didn’t know yet what the move would be.
“You learn when you’re young you can’t worry about that type of stuff,” Kelly said, “or else you’re going to start getting smoked, beat by fastballs. You never knowwhat’s going to shake out. You have to keep playing. Keep smiling, keep playing.”