Merrill Kelly pulled early from another start with cramping Friday vs. Phillies

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly was removed early from a gem of a start on Friday at the Philadelphia Phillies due to right hamstring cramping.

The Phillies took advantage and scored two runs in the seventh inning to snatch a 3-2 win at Citizens Bank Park.

Kelly — who has had cramping issues impact starts in each of the last three seasons — felt something during a warmup pitch in the sixth inning that drew manager Torey Lovullo and athletic trainer Max Esposito to the mound.

The right-hander was visibly frustrated as he walked off the field after throwing only 60 pitches. Lovullo told reporters postgame that Friday may have been the most frustrated he’s seen Kelly in this reoccurring situation.

Kelly retired 12 of 13 batters before leaving the game with a 2-1 lead.

The Phillies scored a run off him in the first inning, and from there, he cruised. For his last out recorded, Kelly picked off Cal Stevenson at first base to end the fifth.

Right-hander Juan Morillo entered the game in his place and threw a scoreless inning, but left-hander Jose Castillo surrendered home runs to Kyle Schwarber and Max Kepler to allow the lead to slip away.

Kelly left a game during the sixth inning on April 20 at Wrigley Field with cramping in his right leg. Most of his previous cramps have occurred at Chase Field over the past three years, and he’s explained having these problems come up while pitching in Korea earlier in his career.

He and the training staff have tried various hydration and nutrition strategies to avoid the problem.

Merrill Kelly extremely frustrated by the cramp issue popping up again … “I don’t want to be a liability” and adding he has to figure it out because it’s not good for him or for the team.

— Jody Jackson (@Jody_Jackson) May 3, 2025

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