Jared Kelley resurfaced with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers for his first start of the 2022 season on Thursday, and the early returns suggest he's ready to put his disastrous 2021 behind him.
Kelley pitched three innings in the Ballers' 5-1 victory over Down East, and he allowed just a solo homer and a walk while striking out two. He needed only 35 pitches (24 strikes) to get his work in, with four batters making outs on the first pitch over a five-hitter stretch.
Down East doesn't stream its games, so there isn't any video on how Kelley looked or how hard he was throwing, but given that Kelley walked 22 batters over 21 innings in A-ball, the strike percentage is progress enough for one data point. The Ballers return home for a six-game series against Fredericksburg next week, so we should have a chance to see his second outing if he adheres to anything resembling a regular schedule.
Charlotte 3, Memphis 2
- Romy Gonzalez went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.
- Micker Adolfo was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
- Johan Dominguez's return to Triple-A: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 1 HR
- Tyler Johnson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Notes:
*Here's the full recap of Dominguez's much-needed start via Jeff Cohen.
Chattanooga 5, Birmingham 2
- Yolbert Sánchez went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Yoelqui Céspedes was 1-for-4 with a double.
- Lenyn Sosa, 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
Winston-Salem 6, Greensboro 5
- Oscar Colás went 1-for-3 with two walks and a strikeout.
- Bryan Ramos went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Luis Mieses was 2-for-5 with a double.
- Harvin Mendoza, 2-for-4 with a double and an HBP.
- Sean Burke: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Kannapolis 5, Down East 1
- Colson Montgomery went 3-for-5.
- Wilfred Veras, 1-for-5 with three strikeouts.
- Wes Kath went 2-for-5 with a double and two strikeouts.
- James Beard doubled, walked, struck out thrice and stole a base.
- Jared Kelley: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR
Notes:
*Beard has swiped six bases in fiv egames, after totaling just nine over 73 games the year before.
