In 2012, Max Scherzer was muddling along, ERA in the mid-4s in early August, when he finished the season on a 6-1 run with a 1.65 ERA in his last 10 starts. A year later, he won the Cy Young Award.
Then, in 2013, a relatively unknown Cleveland Indians right-hander had a 4.33 ERA on the Fourth of July. But Corey Kluber went 5-0 with a 3.26 ERA in his final 11 starts, the precursor to an 18-win season in which he was crowned the American League’s best pitcher.
All of this brings us to Joe Kelly.