Brent Strom: Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly might have tipped pitches in loss to Dodgers

CHICAGO — Pitching coach Brent Strom said the Diamondbacks “identified a few things” that right-hander Merrill Kelly might have been doing to tip his pitches in his most recent start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, an outing in which Kelly allowed eight runs in two innings.

Strom said he was “particularly perplexed” to see the Dodgers’ Trea Turner shoot a single into center field on a Kelly change-up in the second inning.

“You basically have a pull hitter here, for the most part, who went down and got it,” Strom said. “I just said, ‘I’m not sure what’s going on.’ We identified a few things. Hopefully we cleaned them up. Obviously, he (Kelly) wasn’t himself.”

Strom credited the Diamondbacks’ analytics department for helping catch what Kelly was doing, which Strom said was addressed during Kelly’s between-starts bullpen session on Friday morning.

“I can’t tell you how good these people are in terms of identifying things that help me,” Strom said. “These old eyes don’t see it as well as they used to. It’s been a collaborative effort. Today was really good. I expect him to be good his next time out, really good.”

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Strom said the Dodgers “must employ 25 people” whose jobs are to help identify ways to gain small advantages on opposing teams.

“It’s not like you’re playing the Marlins or somebody that maybe don’t have the resources,” Strom said. “They’re exceptional at looking at this kind of stuff. Those are professionals over there. It’s hard enough getting them out. They’re a good team. It’s really difficult if they have an idea on off speed and fastball. We paid the price for it. You constantly have to take care of your own house and adjust these kind of things.”

Strom was reminded of his time with Houston during the 2019 postseason, when the Astros beat Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow in Game 5 of the AL Division Series in part because third baseman Alex Bregman picked up on things Glasnow was doing to telegraph his pitches.

“I remember sitting in the video room looking at stuff and Bregman brought the entire team into the video room and said, ‘Look at this, look at this, look at this,’” Strom said. “We scorched him for like three or four runs in the first inning and ended up winning the game and the series.”

Strom said Astros GM James Click, who at that time was with the Rays, told him he was sitting in the stands with a Rays evaluator who quickly picked up on what the Astros had noticed.

“He rushed down to the dugout in the first inning, tried to let them know what was going on,” Strom said, “but by that time Bregman had just rifled a 2-2 curveball into the right-center field gap to score two runs. The damage was done and we held on to win.

“It’s those kind of things that are constantly going on at this level. You’ve just got to stay on top of things. Guys can get in habits, they can get into ruts a little bit. Other teams are very good at picking that stuff up.”

Short hops

—The Diamondbacks recalled outfielder Jake McCarthy, who had been on the taxi squad, and optioned right-hander Jacob Webb. McCarthy opened the season on the major league roster and went just 3 for 25 before being optioned to Triple-A Reno, where he went 30 for 75 (.400) with five homers and seven steals.

—The Diamondbacks this week acquired left-hander Paul Fry from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for right-hander Luis Osorio, a 19-year-old who spent last season in the Dominican Summer League. Fry, 29, has pitched parts of five seasons in the big leagues, logging a 4.80 ERA. He had a 6.00 ERA in 12 appearances this season before being designated for assignment. He was optioned to Triple-A Reno.

—Second baseman Ketel Marte was out of the lineup on Friday but was expected to play on Saturday and Sunday. The club apparently did not want to give Marte back-to-back starts after having just returned from a left hand injury.

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.