Kelly has coming out party vs. Rangers
3 p.m. East Lake Cup, first round, from Atlanta GOLF 8 p.m. Rangers at Diamondbacks, Game 3 FOX 8 p.m. Heat at Bucks BSS
8 p.m. Warriors at Pelicans NBA 10:30 p.m. Magic at Lakers NBA 8 p.m. Raiders at Lions ABC/ESPN 7 p.m. Panthers at Bruin BSF 7 p.m. MLS: Nashville SC at Orlando City SC, Eastern Conference playoffs, Game 1 FS1/FS2 (Spanish)
9 p.m. MLS: FC Dallas at Seattle Sounders FC, Western Conference playoffs, Game 1 FS1/FS2 (Spanish) 8 a.m. Paris Masters: ATP first round BSF 9:30 p.m. Athletes Unlimited: Team Orange vs. Team Gold ESPNU 1 p.m. TBA ACC 3:30 p.m. TBA ACC 6 p.m. TBA ACC 7 p.m. Northern Illinois at Central Michigan ESPNU
7:30 p.m. Buffalo at Toledo ESPN2 3 p.m. East Lake Cup, second round, from Atlanta GOLF 1 p.m. SEC Tournament, TBA SEC 3:30 p.m. SEC Tournament, TBA SEC 8:30 p.m. SEC Tournament, TBA SEC 8 p.m. Rangers at Diamondbacks, Game 4 FOX 7:30 p.m. Knicks at Cavaliers TNT 10 p.m. Spurs at Suns TNT
ON THE AIR
8 p.m. Kings at Maple Leafs ESPN 6:30 p.m. Women's International Friendlies: Canada vs. Brazil FS2 8 a.m. Paris Masters: ATP first and second round BSF fans permitted in the park with the pandemic. He had nearly an identical outing to Saturday, going 7 2/3 innings, yielding one run, three this, one walk while striking out seven.
“He’s the most under-the-radar starting pitcher in baseball,’’ said D-backs ace Zac Gallen, “which I think is going to be tough for him to do now. I think he’s definitely got that subconscious chip on his shoulder. He wants to prove to you that he’s better than people are giving him credit for.’’
Certainly, the Rangers are believers after being shut down. Kelly, mixing in his four-seam fastball, changeup, cutter, sinker and a few curveballs, made the Rangers look clueless. They only hit one ball out of the infield the first three innings. He didn’t give up a hit until Evan Carter’s soft single in the fourth. They scored their lone run on Mitch Garver’s leadoff homer in the fifth. And he finished the game by striking out five of the last six batters.
“It’s up there as far as the [best] performances I’ve seen,’’ said third baseman Evan Longoria, 38, the only player on the team older than Kelly. “He was as electric as I’ve seen. I mean, his pitches were moving everywhere. He was executing pretty much everything where he wanted all night.
“When you watch him pitch, his stuff isn’t overpowering. He’s not throwing 100-mph. But just the ability to execute four-plus pitches to every part of the plate had them off-balance…When he can execute his changeup for strikes, and move it below the zone, he’s as tough as anybody in the league.’’
And, really, as confident. The D-backs players will tell you that Kelly is one of the fiercest competitors in the game, a little throw-back to Jack Morris. You want to tell him he’s out of the game, you better duck for cover.
“I don’t think you can pitch as well as he does without having that mentality,’’ Longoria said. “Stuff and game-planning and preparation will get you only so far. When you get into big spots in big games, you have to have some sort of extra gear where you can dig deep, fight. That’s what he showed tonight.’’
Who wouldn’t want a pitcher to tell his manager in the second inning that he’s got this game, simply waiting for his team to score runs, and isn’t about to come out of the game until he’s good and ready?
“I’m confident that I can get people out,’’ Kelly said. “I feel like I’ve shown myself enough over the last five years that if I execute pitches, I can get good hitters out.’’
Nervous?
Not one bit.
“I think the pinching moment honestly came before the game,’’ Kelly said. “Just sitting there thinking about what I was about to do, where I am, and the stage that I’m on, I think was more the realization for me. The fact that I was preparing to pitch Game 2 of the World Series, I think that was probably more of the “Oh [expletive] moment or whatever you want to call it.’’
It was a game the D-backs desperately needed after having a two-run lead with one out in the ninth in Game 1, losing on a walk-off homer in the 11th, and walking 10 batters. The pain was completely forgotten by the time they boarded the team plane Saturday night to Phoenix.
“He takes things personally upon himself to get better every single start,’’ Dbacks manager Torey Lovullo says. “He’s aware. He’s present. …He’s really stepped on it, and gotten even better, which is not surprising to me because that’s who he is at his core.
“He wants the biggest moment, the biggest stage, to show what he’s capable of doing.’’
Kelly did just that Saturday night, and if necessary, will prove it again in five days.
“All I know,’’ said Gallen, who lockers next to Kelly in the D-backs clubhouse during the regular season, “is that he’s prepared for the biggest stage in baseball.
“He’s built for this moment.”