There are certain teams and fan bases that you have to be extremely careful around. Saying anything even remotely critical about them will instantly become bulletin material for the players and adrenaline for their rabid supporters. One must be doubly cautious when talking about the Philadelphia Phillies crowd. Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly learned that the hard way Tuesday night.

The Snakes were obliterated in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, 10-0, as Philly's offense stayed molten-hot. Kelly surrendered four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings, which included home runs by Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber (two). The right-hander did not just face the brunt of the Phillies' lineup, however. He also incurred the wrath of all of Citizens Bank Park.

Ahead of the game, Kelly said that he would be surprised if these fans were louder than the electric atmosphere that famously filled the World Baseball Classic in Venezuela this past spring. In any other stadium, that might have been interpreted as a fairly innocuous comment probably just intended to compliment the international crowds he witnessed first-hand. Instead, it might have fueled all those in attendance for the big game.

People jeered Kelly and thoroughly reveled in his struggles, holding little back in their mockery. A Four Loko jab was even landed. The 35-year-old addressed the fan noise and his “controversial” comments after the embarrassing loss.

“I thought it was fun,” Merrill Kelly said, per Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94 WIP. “It was definitely loud…Whether it's 45,000 people cheering for you or against you, that's kind of what gets us {players} going.”

Kelly also explained that he was not surprised in the least by the raucous enthusiasm that was on display, clarifying the comments he believes were “taken out of context.” Nothing is likely to change Philly's tune, though. Once that cage is rattled, there is no going back.

Kelly hopes to get a chance at redemption against the Phillies, but in order to face the team and city again, the Diamondbacks must reawaken in Chase Field. They better hope that the Phoenix fans are ready to bring their own special brand of pandemonium on Thursday.