ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers sent three of their best pitching prospects to the desert with the belief that right-handed starter Merrill Kelly could strengthen a strength and support a playoff push.
Sunday, to clinch a series sweep against the team that was directly ahead of them in the standings, he did.
“I take a lot of pride in the fact that these guys did trade for me,” Kelly said. “I feel like games today are one of the reasons why.”
Kelly pitched seven scoreless innings in a 5-0 win vs. the Cleveland Guardians at Globe Life Field in his best start yet since the Rangers acquired him from the Arizona Diamondbacks three weeks ago. The Rangers, at .500 again with a 66-66 record, leapfrogged the Guardians in the American League Wild Card standings but still trail the Seattle Mariners for the final berth by four games.
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Kelly held the Guardians to three hits — two singles in the second inning and one in the fifth — and struck out eight batters. Cleveland’s Kyle Manzardo was the only batter to reach third base. He led the second inning off with a single and took third on a Brayan Rocchio single; Kelly stranded both on the corners when he struck Bo Naylor out on three pitches.
He exited in the eighth inning with runners at first and second and no outs in the inning. Left-handed reliever Danny Coulombe, another trade deadline acquisition, got a flyout, groundout and strikeout to strand both and maintain the shutout.
Kelly, right-hander Jack Leiter and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi combined to allow one run in 21 innings pitched vs. the Guardians this series. The three starters combined for 27 strikeouts, 10 hits and 2 walks.
“All of them, on top of their game,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “They stayed away from the walks, attacked the zone very well, that’s been a strength for us.”
Sunday was only the second time in Kelly’s first five starts with the Rangers that he exited the game with a lead thanks to first baseman Rowdy Tellez (two-run home run in the fifth inning), center fielder Wyatt Langford (two-run single in the fifth) and designated hitter Joc Pederson (solo home run in the sixth.
The Rangers had gone 1-3 in his Kelly’s four starts despite the fact that he had allowed only two runs in three of them. The 36-year-old has a 3.10 ERA in five starts since the deadline.
“It’s always fun playing meaningful baseball,” Kelly said. “It’s kind of why we’re here.”
It’s certainly why he’s here.
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