The LG Twins need a one-two punch in the postseason. There are variables with foreign pitchers. Casey Kelly has been up and down this season. Adam Plutko, the de facto ace, is currently on the disabled list with a left hip contusion. Like last year, his postseason performance is questionable. In the meantime, Kelly’s improved pitching has eased the coaching staff’s worries.스포츠토토
Before the game against the KT Wiz in Suwon on Sunday, LG manager Yoon Kyung-yeop said, “Kelly pitched well yesterday (June 6). In the previous game against KT, he was targeted by curveballs and the results were not good, but he reduced his curveball and did a good job of utilizing the batter’s body after two strikes.”
Kelly pitched seven innings against the KT lineup on June 6, allowing just two hits and two walks with four strikeouts. No runs were earned. He struck out eight, his most in a single game this season. He also threw 91 pitches. “It was a good game to see that she’s getting back to the Kelly that she was at her best. At this point, I don’t think we have much to worry about,” he said with a smile.
While Kelly has been injury-free and consistently in the starting rotation this season, he has underperformed with an 8-7 record and a 4.08 ERA. It’s his worst performance in five seasons in the KBO. The problem was his high strikeout rate. His BABIP is 0.271 this season. His ERA is high despite 15 quality starts (6+ innings of 3 earned runs or less) because he hasn’t had many bad outings.
After the first half of the season, Kelly met with Yeom to discuss ways to improve. He said he wanted to work more on his fastball, and Yeom asked him to refine his changeup. Since then, he has shown improvement. Against KT on the 6th, he showed that he was regaining his ace form. Kelly’s second half performance was 2-2 with a 3.26 ERA and a .264 batting average, which was better than his first half (6-5, 4.44-0.274). His last four starts have all been QS.