Merrill Kelly Throws Gem in Diamondbacks Loss

Today brought Diamondbacks fans shades of Merrill the Mainstay, as the Diamondbacks drop the finale vs Giants.

Sep 5, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly (29) pitches during the second inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

A ball driven to the gap by Giants catcher Patrick Bailey spelled the end of today's game for the Arizona Diamondbacks. A close game in the series finale would end up in the hands of San Francisco, as they walked off the D-backs.

However among the rubble, a diamond shined above the rest. The return of Merrill the Mainstay.

The Diamondbacks came out hot against Blake Snell. Snell, the lefty reigning Cy Young winner, had been one of the hottest pitchers in baseball entering today's ballgame. The main issues that plague the Giants starter are control and command. While wielding some of the best pure stuff in MLB, he often finds himself throwing it well outside of the strike zone. The first inning would be no exception.

The game opened with a Geraldo Perdomo single, a rally cry that Diamondbacks fans know well. Corbin Carroll followed up with a walk, setting up for a big start against Snell. Things continued to unravel for Blake Snell and the Giants as a ground ball to Tyler Fitzgerald was thrown away, leading to another early scoring affair for Arizona. Jake McCarthy struck out with two runners in scoring position and two outs, but a dropped third strike allowed another run to score.

Snell would not come back out for a second inning. In what has been an up and down year for the August NL pitcher of the month, the Diamondbacks got the best of him early. Still it was Landen Roupp who showed up big time for San Fransisco.

In what was a very important start for Merrill Kelly, he absolutely dazzled. Coming off the injured list with a shoulder strain, it's been a struggle for the D-backs right-hander. His velocity had been down significantly, and his pitch locations had been all but locked in.

In the series finale against the Giants, we saw a more refined version of Kelly, with his changeup in particular working very well for him. Through 3 innings he was able to induce soft contact and collected some big strikeouts.

While Kelly dominated for one dugout, Landen Roupp shined for the other. The young right-hander shoved with a strong curveball, and even after Blake Snell only lasted an inning, Roupp passed the baton to the next arm 4 innings later, having only allowed a single hit.

The big stain on Kelly's fantastic night, and the reason he was unable to leave with a win came in the 4th. He allowed runners to reach 2nd and 3rd with nobody out, by far the biggest jam he would find himself in during today's game. Kelly pulled a strong Houdini act, striking out back to back hitters, both with fantastic changeups.

It would be Patrick Bailey, the third batter Kelly would face with runners on, that would do him in. A 2 out bloop single to left field tied the game, driving in both runners and taking the wind out of the Diamondbacks' sails.

A huge improvement on Kelly's end was the velocity. While he averaged only 91.3 mph in his previous 4 starts, that number jumped to a much improved 92.1 today. As the season comes closer and closer to an end, the re-emergence of Merrill Kelly is almost necessary for the Diamondbacks to make waves. Today was a monumental first step.

Starting Pitching Lines

Merrill Kelly: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 94 P

Blake Snell: 1 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 42 P

After both sides turned things over to the bullpen, things stayed quiet for some time. The Diamondbacks in particular would be held silent for the remainder of the game by the San Francisco bullpen.

Kevin Ginkel would enter for Arizona in the bottom of the 8th, with runners on 1st and 2nd. He would escape, cleaning up a big mess, and giving the Diamondbacks a fighting chance.

Ginkel came back out in the 9th, allowing a leadoff knock, and with an inexperienced catcher behind the plate in Adrian Del Castillo the winning run wound up on 2nd base. That would be the end of things for Arizona as Patrick Bailey smacked a ball beyond the reach of the Diamondbacks' outfielders, and sent Giants fans home happy.

The Diamondbacks lost today's game 3-2 but are still in a good position to take the season series from the Giants. More importantly they still hold a key Wild Card spot as they head to Houston tomorrow for a massive series against the Astros. There they could be joined by their MVP candidate 2nd baseman, who has been on the injured list now for quite some time.

For more on the possible return on Ketel Marte, and all D-backs news, make sure to keep things locked in on Arizona Diamondbacks ON SI.