Merrill Kelly leaves Diamondbacks start with right leg injury

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly left his start on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a right leg injury.

In the seventh inning at a 1-0 count against Dodgers outfielder Chris Taylor, Kelly threw ball two and showed visible discomfort right after the pitch, slightly limping off the mound.

The D-backs training staff and manager Torey Lovullo went out to speak with Kelly and it was quickly decided the right-hander would exit the game.

Arizona later announced it was a right leg cramp for Kelly, and Lovullo specified postgame it was the right hamstring cramping.

The 34-year-old was making his fourth start since getting reinstated from the injured list on July 25. He missed a month because of a blood clot in his right calf.

Kelly said the doctors believe it was not related to the clot and that the hamstring cramp is an injury he has sustained a handful of times over his career. He said he was not worried about the injury afterward.

Kelly was through six scoreless innings on six hits and a walk while striking out two in 83 pitches.

Arizona is already missing two starting pitchers, as veteran right-hander Zach Davies has been out since July 19 due to lower back inflammation. Davies is set to make a rehab outing in Triple-A Reno on Thursday. Tommy Henry has also been on the injured list since July 30 because of left elbow inflammation.

Kelly is having a strong 2023, sporting a 9-5 record, 3.21 ERA and 1.16 WHIP coming into Wednesday’s outing.

If Kelly has to miss any starts, the timing is brutal. Arizona was on a seven-game losing streak coming into the night and has been particularly reeling on offense, falling down the wild card standings after once holding a decent-sized lead in the NL West.

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