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Joe Kelly | Relief Pitcher

Team: St Louis Cardinals
Age / DOB:  (24) / 6/9/1988
Ht / Wt:  6'1' / 185
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
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Joe Kelly gave up two runs in two innings of relief Monday against the Twins.
The way the Cardinals used Shelby Miller and Kelly today was a dead giveaway that they intended to make Miller the fifth starter and put Kelly in middle relief initially. Kelly probably won't be worth using in NL-only leagues until he gets a chance to start. Mar 25 - 5:16 PM

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Date:
Joe Kelly - R - Cardinals

Joe Kelly struggled in relief Tuesday, giving up four runs and eight hits in three innings against the Marlins.

It sounded like the Cardinals would name their fifth starter last week, which would have been good news for Kelly. They chose to wait, however, and Shelby Miller was the far more effective of the two pitchers today, going four scoreless innings. We still think they're leaning Kelly, but Miller is the more exciting of the two for fantasy purposes.
Mar 19 - 4:42 PM
Joe Kelly - R - Cardinals

Joe Kelly was effective in his start Thursday, holding the Braves to one run in four innings.

Kelly likely clinched the fifth spot in the St. Louis rotation with the showing. He should have a little value in NL-only leagues early on, but we're guessing that he gets bumped back to middle relief eventually. Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha are going to be tough to hold back.
Mar 14 - 4:03 PM
Joe Kelly - R - Cardinals

Joe Kelly yielded two runs -- one earned -- in two innings and walked three against the Yankees on Thursday.

The Post-Dispatch's Joe Strauss is predicting that the Cardinals will make Kelly their fifth starter and send Shelby Miller down to Triple-A. That would make Kelly worth using in NL-only leagues early on. Still, he could eventually get bumped back to middle relief by someone with more upside, whether it's Miller, Michael Wacha or Carlos Martinez.
Mar 7 - 4:45 PM
Joe Kelly - R - Cardinals

Joe Kelly started and pitched two hitless innings against the Astros on Friday.

Kelly should be the fallback choice as the Cardinals' fifth starter in case one of the team's higher upside guys fails to win the job. His secondary stuff is a bit lacking, limiting his ceiling, but he was plenty effective in amassing a 3.53 ERA in 107 innings last year.
Mar 1 - 5:14 PM
Joe Kelly - R - Cardinals

Joe Kelly gave up two runs in 6 2/3 innings in a victory Monday as the Cardinals topped the Mets 5-4.

The Mets were bidding for a comeback in the ninth, but Andres Torres' leadoff double was erased on appeal when first-base ump David Rackley said he missed the bag. Replays were inconclusive. Jason Motte finished the ninth from there for his 33rd save, but the Mets lingered on the field afterwards, jawing with Rackley. The Cardinals' win guaranteed that they'd stay ahead of the Dodgers in the wild card standings for at least another day. Kelly is 5-6 with a 3.54 ERA.
Mon, Sep 3, 2012 05:41:00 PM
Joe Kelly - R - Cardinals

Joe Kelly was shelled for five earned runs in five innings Wednesday in a loss to the Pirates.

It was Kelly's first start since his mid-August demotion to the bullpen, and he did not look sharp. Pittsburgh scored one run in the first inning off a Garrett Jones RBI double and three runs in the third when Pedro Alvarez hit a three-run bomb to right field. Kelly's ERA jumped from 3.26 to 3.61.
Wed, Aug 29, 2012 09:58:00 PM
Joe Kelly - R - Cardinals

Joe Kelly will move from the bullpen to start Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Kelly is replacing Lance Lynn in the starting rotation, who's being banished after posting a 5.89 ERA over his last 12 starts. Jaime Garcia returned from the disabled list Sunday, and will stay in the rotation over Lynn going forward.
Related: Lance Lynn
Source: Derrick Goold on Twitter
Sat, Aug 25, 2012 01:55:00 PM
Joe Kelly - R - Cardinals

Joe Kelly has been shifted to the bullpen.

Jaime Garcia (shoulder) is set to return from the disabled list on Sunday to face the Pirates, so the Cardinals had to open a rotation spot. Kelly, 24, posted a solid 3.41 ERA over his first 12 major league starts this season. He will operate as a long reliever.
Source: FOX Sports Midwest on Twitter
Wed, Aug 15, 2012 06:01:00 PM
Joe Kelly - R - Cardinals

Joe Kelly picked up his third win Monday, limiting the Diamondbacks to two runs on six hits and two walks over 6 1/3 innings in the 8-2 victory.

He tossed six scoreless but then was taken deep by Miguel Montero with a two-run bomb in the seventh. Kelly tied a career high with six strikeouts. The rookie holds a nice 3.41 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 12 outings, producing eight quality starts along the way. Despite certainly holding his own in the Cardinals’ rotation, he’s expected to be replaced by Jaime Garcia this weekend, likely shifting into the bullpen.
Tue, Aug 14, 2012 11:04:00 PM
Joe Kelly - R - Cardinals

The Cardinals are expected to move Joe Kelly to the bullpen when Jaime Garcia (shoulder) returns.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold confirms a six-man rotation is "not in play," but it's possible Kelly could be used as a situational fill-in for Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn. MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch suggests Lynn is a bullpen candidate in an effort to lower his workload, though that seems unlikely.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Mon, Aug 6, 2012 10:20:00 AM
Joe Kelly - R - Cardinals

Joe Kelly didn't have his best stuff on Friday, but battled through 5 2/3 innings while allowing three runs on 10 hits in a victory over the Brewers.

Kelly walked two and struck out four in the game. All three runs he allowed came around in the second inning, highlighted by a two-run single from opposing pitcher Randy Wolf. Not to be outdone, Kelly returned the favor with an RBI single of his own in the fifth inning, putting the Cardinals ahead to stay. He's having a nice rookie season, and will take a 2-4 record and 3.14 ERA into Wednesday's home start against the Giants. He deserves a look in most mixed leagues, especially with the backing of the strong Cardinals offense.
Sat, Aug 4, 2012 12:28:00 AM
Joe Kelly - R - Cardinals

Joe Kelly yielded three runs in 6 1/3 innings Saturday in a loss to the Cubs.

Kelly allowed five hits and a walk to go along with six strikeouts. He gave up a two-run triple in the first inning while the third run was charged to him after he was replaced by Brian Fuentes in the bottom of the seventh. This was his longest outing since his promotion in June while he has yet to allow more than three earned runs in any of his nine starts. He'll carry a surprising 2.96 ERA into a start against the struggling Brewers next week and makes for a decent streaming option in mixed leagues.
Sat, Jul 28, 2012 04:36:00 PM
Joe Kelly - R - Cardinals

Joe Kelly was solid again Monday, allowing three runs – two earned – on four hits and three walks over six innings in a loss to the Dodgers.

He struck out one. Kelly could conceivably have allowed no runs, as Lance Berkman booted a ball and Rafael Furcal had a blooper go off his glove before Luis Cruz belted a one-out, three-run homer in the second inning. The 24-year-old has been better than expected since his promotion last month, as he’s put up six straight quality starts and hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any outing. He’ll bring a 2.78 ERA and 1.37 WHIP into Chicago this weekend.
Mon, Jul 23, 2012 11:27:00 PM
Joe Kelly - R - Cardinals

Joe Kelly allowed just one unearned run on two hits in six innings Sunday, taking a no-decision in St. Louis' 5-4 win over the Marlins.

Kelly struck out five and walked five. Kelly has exceeded expectations since joining St. Louis' rotation on June 10, posting a 2.70 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 21/13 K/BB ratio through 33 1/3 innings. His WHIP and K/BB ratio foretell darker days ahead, but there's no reason for Kelly to be unowned in NL-only leagues. He's a decent streaming option in deeper mixed formats.
Sun, Jul 8, 2012 06:21:00 PM

Depth Charts

Batters
PosRoleName
C1Yadier Molina
2Tony Cruz
1B1Allen Craig
2Matt Adams
2B1Matt Carpenter
2Daniel Descalso
SS1Pete Kozma
2Rafael Furcal
3B1David Freese
2Ty Wigginton
LF1Matt Holliday
CF1Jon Jay
2Shane Robinson
RF1Carlos Beltran
Starting Pitcher
PosRoleName
S1Adam Wainwright
2Jaime Garcia
3Jake Westbrook
4Lance Lynn
5Shelby Miller
6Chris Carpenter
7John Gast
Relief Pitcher
PosRoleName
R1Edward Mujica
2Trevor Rosenthal
3Randy Choate
4Carlos Martinez
5Joe Kelly
6Fernando Salas
7Seth Maness
8Mitchell Boggs
9Jason Motte