James Madison's MLB alumni are making the most of the dog days, with Chase DeLauter turning in one of the hottest stretches of his young career and Kevin Kelly quietly assembling one of the better reliever seasons in the American League.
DeLauter Is Cooking in Cleveland
The Guardians' right fielder has been one of Cleveland's most reliable bats over the past week, racking up hits in five consecutive games and lifting his average to .286. The run started quietly enough — a pair of walks and a run scored against the White Sox on Aug. 9 — before DeLauter flipped the switch against Detroit.
He went 3-for-something with a home run, an RBI, and a run scored on Tuesday, Aug. 11, then followed that up with multi-hit efforts in each of the next two games against the Tigers. He carried that momentum into the Padres series, going 1-for on Friday and a 2-hit, 1-run performance on Saturday to close the week. That's 8 hits over the five-game stretch, with his average climbing nine points from .277 to .286.
For a player who entered the league with loud tools but question marks about contact, DeLauter is answering those questions in August.
Kelly Keeps the Rays' Bullpen Afloat
While DeLauter is making headlines with his bat, Kevin Kelly is doing what he's done all season in Tampa: making hitters look foolish and keeping the ERA board clean.
Kelly logged a 1.1-inning appearance in a 3-2 Rays win over the Mariners on Aug. 9, then returned on Tuesday to toss a clean inning in a 10-6 victory over the Athletics. His latest outing came Friday against the Orioles — just two-thirds of an inning, but he exited with his ERA still sitting at a pristine 1.94.
That number puts Kelly among the elite relievers in the AL, a testament to the consistency he's shown all season. The Rays have leaned heavily on their bullpen all year, and Kelly has been one of the most dependable arms in the unit.
The Rest of the Duke Roll Call
Kyle Hayes (Royals), Nick Robertson (Dodgers), and Fenwick Trimble (Marlins) are all on active rosters, though none logged notable statistical activity in the Aug. 9–15 window covered here.
The bigger picture for JMU fans: DeLauter and Kelly represent two very different paths to big-league relevance — one a high-upside position player finally finding his stroke, the other a polished reliever who has made himself indispensable. Both are doing it at the same time, in the same week, wearing different uniforms. Not a bad August for Harrisonburg.
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