In peak form Wednesday Kelly did not allow a hit and struck out eight over three scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring training game against the Giants. Impact Kelly mowed down mostly regulars in the San Francisco lineup, allowing one batter to make contact in fair territory. The right-hander was Arizona's most consistent starter in 2021 -- only a bout with COVID-19 interrupted his season. Kelly's velocity was up a tick as well, touching 94 and 95 mph. More than the results and velocity, Kelly was most pleased with his changeup, a pitch he worked on during the offseason, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. "Mechanical tweaks, grips, just trying not to do too much with it. Just focus on throwing it and not trying to manipulate it," Kelly said. "I think I got a little too focused on trying to be too fine with it just because it wasn't doing what I thought it should do." Kelly started 27 games and went 7-11 with a 4.44 earned run average in 2021. Those aren't the best numbers he's had during his career, but recall the Diamondbacks tied for last in the majors, finishing 52-110.
MARCH 24, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
