Merrill Kelly's Return Powers D-backs to Overwhelming Win vs Phillies

Arizona's co-ace pitched a solid game in his return, as the offense continued to pour on for a series win against the Phillies.

Aug 11, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly (29) throws against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports / Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks took down the Philadelphia Phillies by another lopsided score of 12-5, taking three out of four at Chase Field and winning the season series 4-3.

Right-handed starter Merrill Kelly made his first start since returning from the Injured List. The crafty veteran's day got off to a rough start, as he allowed a walk and two doubles, spotting the Phillies an early 2-0 lead.

Despite struggling a bit with his usually sharp command, Kelly was able to settle into five strong innings, working more efficiently as the game progressed.

Manager Torey Lovullo was impressed with Kelly's strong outing.

"Great to have Merrill back. Just went out there and attacked the zone, I'm sure there was some rust on his spikes that he was knocking off pitch by pitch... To me it looked like vintage Merrill, mixing pitches, following a game plan, and getting us back in the dugout to score some runs," Lovullo said.

Though only recording two strikeouts, he put forward five innings of two-run ball, throwing 85 pitches, 52 for strikes. He worked through a tough fifth inning, after a six-pitch walk to Kyle Schwarber brought Trea Turner to the plate, with Kelly already reaching his 80-pitch limit.

But the righty finished the inning strong with a force out at second. Kelly said he appreciated the chance to finish the fifth despite his pitch count.

"I definitely appreciated that, it was fun walking off the mound knowing that I had gotten my five [innings] that I set out to do," Kelly told Sports Illustrated's Jack Sommers. "Walking off the mound, definitely a sense of accomplishment that we got the five innings that we wanted to."

Kelly's record improves to 3-0, with a 2.43 ERA behind it. It might not have been his strongest ever start, but he kept control of the game and allowed the D-backs' offense to go to work.

And go to work they did.

Against Phillies All-Star lefty Christopher Sanchez, the D-backs were able to rack up 12 hits, two walks and seven runs, chasing him with two outs in the fifth inning. But the downpour began early.

With two outs in the first, Arizona strung together three straight singles to cut the lead to 2-1. After some traffic was stranded in the second, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Josh Bell singled to start the third.

Eugenio Suarez brought Gurriel in on a sharp double, and catching prospect Adrian Del Castillo came through with a two-run single to make it 4-2. A wild pitch later scored Del Castillo from third to make it 5-2.

Del Castillo put out another strong showing at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI. He's begun his career with a 7-for-12 stretch, with those seven hits setting a franchise record for most hits through a player's first three career games, just two games after his walk-off home run.

"That's a great player development story. Everybody is sharing in his success... That's what we do here, we knew what he was capable of doing, we asked him to come here and be the same guy, not try and do too much... He had three really good approaches that had base hits," Lovullo said on his young catcher.

The D-backs continued to pour it on in the fifth, as a pair of two-out singles and a walk by Geraldo Perdomo loaded the bases for Jake McCarthy.

McCarthy laced a ball down the right field line into the corner, clearing the bases and making it to third easily, extending Arizona's lead to 8-2. McCarthy continued his hot streak with a stellar 3-for-5 day, with a triple and four RBI.

The speedy outfielder's slash now sits at an impressive .304/.375/.451, with a power surge to the tune of a .719 slug on the month thus far.

"I just know he's in a very good hitting position... the common denominator to being a good hitter is, [you've] got to swing at good pitches and see the baseball," said Lovullo, "and he's on the baseball, and he's swinging at strikes and letting the balls go by him, and he's not missing the pitches he's looking for."

With two outs in the sixth, Suarez reached on an errant throw from Alec Bohm. After another Del Castillo knock, Kevin Newman ripped a double to the right field gap, making it 9-2.

Newman added his name to the list of stellar offensive performances, going 3-for-4, with 2 doubles, a RBI and a walk. More on Newman's emergence as a crucial part of the D-backs here.

The bullpen's only real blemish came from right-hander Dylan Floro. He struggled through a rough seventh inning, as he allowed four straight hits before recording an out on a sacrifice fly. A double play got him out of the inning, but not before the Phillies tightened the gap to 9-5.

But the Answerbacks responded in turn.

A single and stolen base from Perdomo, and McCarthy's third hit of the game made it 10-5, before Corbin Carroll launched a rocket to left center field, sending a 99 MPH sinker from tough left-hander Jose Alvarado 106.2 MPH into the stands, and promptly getting all three of Floro's runs back.

Watch out National League.
Corbin Carroll is driving balls left and right. The number one offense in MLB has their 2023 Rookie of the year back in form. https://t.co/p92wevAex0

— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) August 11, 2024

A.J. Puk and Paul Sewald shut down the eighth and ninth innings without much trouble, and the D-backs improve to 66-53.

With the Padres losing to the Marlins on the same day, Arizona is now tied for the first Wild Card spot, and extend their lead over the Mets and Braves to 4.0.

Of course, the good comes with bad news as well. Outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was removed from the game with left hamstring tightness. He made a stellar catch at the wall, and was 2-for-2 at the plate before being removed.

The details of Gurriel's injury can be found here.

Over the last two games of the series, the Diamondbacks racked up a monstrous 33 hits, while outscoring the Phillies 23-6. They continue to blaze through the competition, and will meet the Rockies for a three-game series at Chase Field starting Monday.

Box Score