The Arizona Diamondbacks have survived the Philadelphia Phillies offensive onslaught, and now are closing in a potential seventh and decisive game of the NLCS with a World Series spot on the line. That is -- assuming manager Torey Lovullo didn't make a terrible mistake in the middle innings.
Lovullo pulled starting pitcher Merrill Kelly prior to his third time through the order. Kelly had pitched five nearly perfect innings, and struck out Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper his last time out.
As Passan noted, Kelly's pitch selection was filthy on Monday night. He didn't appear to be struggling when Lovullo opted to take him out of Game 6, and this was reflected by Kelly's reaction in the dugout.
Why did Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo pull Merrill Kelly?
It's impossible to know why Kelly was taken out of the game without speaking with the manager himself. While the easy answer is analytics -- as Kelly's numbers (like most around baseball) aren't as impressive the third and fourth time through the order -- perhaps Lovullo knows something we do not.
The veteran manager runs the risk of overusing his bullpen a night before a theoretical Game 7 in Philadelphia.
Kelly's redemption arc was a surprising one, as he previously noted that Citizens Bank Park reminded him of a World Baseball Classic environment. Phillies fans didn't react kindly to that, but Kelly took his punishment after losing Game 2.
"I haven't obviously heard this place on the field," Kelly told reporters last Tuesday. "But I'd be very surprised if it trumped that Venezuela game down in Miami."
Kelly was, indeed, surprised, as Phillies fans brought their A-game and responded to the challenge. Philadelphia won Game 2, and headed to Arizona with a multi-game advantage.
Suddenly, the Snakes have responded and then some, with Kelly leading the way.
