Against 28 other teams, Merrill Kelly is a fine pitcher.
Against the Giants, Merrill Kelly is inevitable.
Some guys find a way to turn into The Guy against certain teams. It's a beautiful thing about baseball. It's a horrible thing about baseball.
Kelly's started more games against the Giants than any other team—almost one in every six starts he's made across seven seasons. His ERA in those 20 starts sits at 3.18, and yet it feels like it should be 1.28.
That's what your ERA would be if you always threw seven innings of one-run ball. That's what Kelly did Monday night, and seemingly every other night against the Giants.
He's a tall glass of Diet Kershaw, close enough to real thing to leave you feeling all the same.
Up next: The good news for the Giants is that today is Win Day. That’s what it’s been all season when Robbie Ray (5-0, 2.84 ERA) has started. He faces Brandon Pfaadt (6-2, 3.28 ERA) at 6:45 pm.
You also don’t want to be running into outs in coin flip games!