Joe Kelly tweaks hamstring against Milwaukee Brewers
By Danielle
Who picked Joe Kelly for the first member of the St. Louis Cardinals rotation to fall to an injury?
Apr 16, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Joe Kelly (58) bends over in pain after trying to bunt for a hit in the fifth inning during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Kelly was injured on the play and had to leave the game. Image Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Kelly, who has stepped up the last two seasons in the rotation, one the final spot over Carlos Martinez this spring. Whether it was really a “race” between the two pitchers really remains to be seen. However, Kelly won the spot and left after four innings in his Wednesday start due to tightness in his left hamstring. Kelly will be back in St. Louis today to be evaluated. What happens next depends on what doctors say today.
“I definitely tweaked it, and it’s something I felt instantly,” Kelly said in a MLB.com article. “I called the trainer over and let him know and came out of the game. … I’ve been healthy my whole life. This is the first [injury]. It’s kind of shocking.”
Despite the early exit, Kelly has an impressive 0.59 ERA to start the season. With a 1-1 record, Kelly has pitched just over 15 innings.
After beating up on the Brewers both Monday and Tuesday, the Cards were unable to pull the brooms out for what would have been the first sweep of the season.
Offensively, Allen Craig appears to be waking up from his slump. The Cards’ right fielder finally hit his first home run of the season. While currently hitting .154 this season, Craig has a five-game hitting streak going on at the moment. He was hitting .088 after the Cardinals faced the Chicago Cubs on April 12 so it’s good to see the power hitter waking up at the plate and seeing the ball.
What Matt Adams is doing at the plate is not a surprise. He’s had multiple multi-hit games early in the season. If he continues to keep up at this pace, it does cause problems for the Cardinals when it comes to the outfield logjam. When one looks at his numbers, how could they consider trading Adams with what he’s been hitting of late?
Yadier Molina has had several multi-hit games to get his batting average right where it needs to be.