Merrill Kelly Feeling Fatigued, Dehydrated After Today's Outing

Diamondbacks right hander Merrill Kelly pitched 2.1 innings, getting in 43 pitches in a 6-3 loss against the Mariners today. Kelly was sharp in the first inning, despite issuing a walk on a 3-2 changeup that just missed. He struggled in the second inning giving up two base hits and a walk for a lone run.

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Kelly came out of the game at that point, but then re entered in the top of third. This is not unusual in spring training. Teams don't like to allow their pitchers to throw too many pitches in one inning in spring. But more importantly, they want to manage the "up/downs". During the normal course of the season a pitcher throws in the bullpen, then sits, then goes out to warmup and throw is first inning, then sits, and so on. In those circumstances the pitchers get hot and cold and therefore they need be conditioned for the up downs, not just the pitch count total.

Kelly worked a clean third inning. After the game he was over a half hour late to his post game media session, and then opted out, instead heading into manager Torey Lovullo's office before quickly leaving the facility. Lovullo confirmed there was no injury or any serious illness for Kelly, just that he was fatigued and dehydrated. He also said that Kelly felt a bit rushed today and had a hard time getting in rhythm. This is his last start with the team before reporting to Team USA for the World Baseball Classic on March 7th.

Lovullo said after the game that they need to lock down on the between inning warmups. Three times today the D-backs had a pitch violation where the last warmup pitch and the throw down to second base occurred too late, causing the pitcher to start behind in the count 1-0. This happened to Kelly, Joe Mantiply, and Tommy Henry.

Mark Melancon had a rough outing. His cutter velocity was down to 88 MPH, compared to 91 last year, and he gave up three runs on six hits, including a homer. Some of the hits were on soft contact and bad luck, but this was the issue for Melancon last year too, as his strikeout rate plummeted. Melancon joked a bit about the velocity and also spoke about how he was unable to re produce his early season adjustments and bullpen work into this game. Lovullo said he was evaluating Melancon the same as he would any other veteran and was not worried about the velocity.

Tommy Henry's outing was somewhat more encouraging despite giving up three hits and two runs in three innings of work. He struck out four batters and his stuff seemed to be getting better as he went on. He acknowledged that the pitch clock had him huffing and puffing a little bit. It was interesting to hear him talk about timing himself with the pitcher in the game while warming up in the bullpen so as to help him get the pace.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. continues to swing the bat well, rapping out two base its today with an RBI. Christian Walker also had two hits, including a double, and a RBI. Catcher Gabriel Moreno showed a good eye and plate discipline, taking a walk on four close pitches. He also had a base hit. Josh Rojas drew two walks and scored a run. Wilderd Patino hit a deep smash to right center field that looked like extra bases for sure. But Mariners start center fielder Julio Rodriguez ran it down for a terrific catch to rob the outfield prospect.

You can tune in directly to the Diamondbacks clubhouse to hear the reactions from Melancon, Henry, and Lovullo at the link below. Tomorrow the team plays split squad games, both at 1:05 P.M. They'll face the Padres at Salt River Fields and the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium. Slade Cecconi will start against the Giants and Brandon Pfaadt will get the Padres.