Kelly retired both batters he faced in the seventh inning to earn a hold in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Milwaukee.
Kelly entered a high-leverage situation that might normally be entrusted to Justin Slaten, but Slaten was unavailable due to an oblique injury. With Boston leading, 3-1, the bases loaded and one out, Kelly limited the damage to one run on a pair of groundouts and recorded his first hold. In three appearances since being called up from Triple-A Worcester last week, the right-handed reliever has allowed one run and one hit while striking out one over 2.2 innings. The 31-year-old Kelly is a well-known commodity in the bullpen, having made 98 appearances for the Red Sox over the previous four seasons.