Kelly recorded his second save of the season in Friday’s 4-3 win over the Pirates, giving up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning without striking out a batter.
The right-hander made things interesting, giving up a leadoff double and then escaping a one-out jam with runners on the corners by getting Tommy Pham to ground into a double play. Kelly has two of the A’s four saves this week, with Hogan Harris collecting the other two, and the duo appear to be manager Mark Kotsay’s top ninth-inning options as the season draws to a close, depending on matchups. Over 7.1 innings in September, Kelly sports a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 7:3 K:BB.