For nearly a month, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts would not divulge to the media exactly what was wrong with Dodgers right-hander Joe Kelly. Instead, the Dodgers skipper repeatedly told reporters that the 31-year-old Anaheim, CA native, whom the Dodgers signed to a hefty three-year / $25 million free-agent contract (with a club option for 2022) on December 21, 2018, was dealing with “a lower-body issue.” Not a hip or groin or calf or thigh or hamstring or lower back or whatever issue, but “a lower-body issue.”

At one point during this charade, Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett asked Roberts if Kelly’s on-going “lower-body issue” was skeletal or muscular, to which the Dodgers skipper reluctantly answered “muscular.”

Do you see a problem here? I mean, technically Athlete’s Foot or even Hemorrhoids or Jock Itch are lower-body issues, right?

Prior to his still unknown ailment, which was first reported on September 18, Kelly had a rather dismal 4.62 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and 62/22 K/BB ratio in 50.2 innings pitched this season.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that Kelly posted an atrocious 8.83 ERA (17 runs in 17.1 innings pitched) in his first 18 outings with the Dodgers. He did, however, seem to be pitching better after the All-Star break.

…and then came Game-3 of the 2019 National League Division Series at Nationals Park in Washington DC on Sunday night.

Kelly entered the game in the bottom of the sixth inning in relief of Dodgers left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu, who exited the game with the Dodgers leading by a comfortable 8-2 margin.

He never recorded an out.

Instead, Kelly walked Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon and left fielder Juan Soto and gave up a single to first baseman Howie Kendrick to load the bases. He then uncorked a wild pitch allowing Rendon to score and then walked catcher Yan Gomes to re-load the bases before Roberts finally replaced him with left-hander Julio Urías. Urías gave up a sacrifice fly to Nat’s pinch-hitter Asdrúbal Cabrera scoring Soto, but thanks to a major TOOTBLAN (Thrown Out On The Basepaths Like A Nincompoop) by Kendrick, Urías escaped the inning without further damage, with both runs charged to Kelly.

As a result, in his one inning pitched over his (thus far) two NLDS appearances, Kelly owns a horrendous 18.00 ERA and 5.00 WHIP.

The good news – sort of – is that Roberts can replace Kelly on his postseason roster for that same undisclosed “lower-body issue” without anyone being the wiser. The burning question, of course, is will he? Keep in mind that if Roberts so chooses to declare Kelly injured, he could bring up right-hander Tony Gonsolin or even (gulp) right-hander Yimi Garcia from so-called ‘Stay Hot Camp.’ But here again, will he?

Stay Tuned…

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