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Right-hander Merrill Kelly is a significant reason why the Arizona Diamondbacks have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. In Tuesday’s middle match of a three-game series, Kelly will start for the Arizona Diamondbacks on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Arizona’s pitching staff entered Monday’s game with a 3.19 ERA dating back to August 17. That ERA was third-best in Major League Baseball behind only the Baltimore Orioles (2.82) and the Seattle Mariners (3.00). They allowed only 65 hits, which was third fewest, and their WHIP of 1.06 was equally low.
Kelly has a losing record of just 1-0 in August across five starts with the Diamondbacks. But that’s more thanks to the offense than Kelly’s 2.08 ERA and six innings pitched each start in the month of August. On August 9 at home against the Dodgers, he pitched six scoreless innings but ultimately took the loss in a 2-0 decision for his side.
Kelly surrendered only one hit and struck out a career-high 12 batters in seven scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. Kelly rejected him by not making a decision. Kelly departed the game with cramps in his right leg, which is cause for concern given that he threw 86 pitches.
Starting pitcher Zac Gallen let up back-to-back home runs to Jason Heyward and rookie James Outman in the sixth inning of Monday’s series opener against the Dodgers, despite having a lead entering the inning. The final score was 7-4 in favor of Los Angeles. Mookie Betts’s 15-game hitting streak came to an end as he went 0-for-4, while Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy both hit home runs for the winning Dodgers.
On Tuesday, the Dodgers will reply with veteran lefty Clayton Kershaw (11-4, 2.52), who continues to impress in his 16th season despite missing time on the DL with shoulder tightness.
Kershaw has never pitched more than 126 2/3 innings in a single regular season. He will have thrown 107 2/3 innings at the end of the 2023 campaign. Against the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday, he only pitched two innings since the rest of the game was postponed until Thursday due to rain.
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Arizona Diamondbacks vs Los Angeles Dodgers Game Information
- Date: 08/29/2023
- Time: 10:10 PM ET
- Location: Dodger Stadium.
- How to Watch Diamondbacks vs Dodgers: MLB.TV
- Live Stream: MLB.TV
