The Arizona Diamondbacks lost a nail-biter behind a great performance from ace Merrill Kelly. The San Francisco Giants nipped the Diamondbacks with a walk-off hit, closing out the tightly contested match-up at a score. The turning point in the game happened when Giants catcher Patrick Bailey drove one into the gap for the win. Still, amidst that disappointment, Kelly’s great performance showed up.
Merrill Kelly Resurgence
The return of Merrill Kelly from the injured list was highly anticipated. Having struggled with a shoulder strain and reduced velocity at the start of the season, Kelly proved he was back to his best. Today’s performance was big for the Diamondbacks, as Kelly’s changeup was going great guns today, and he induced soft contact and collected strikeouts.
The Diamondbacks got on Giants pitcher Blake Snell, last year’s Cy Young winner, with little time to waste. He looked like he was going to struggle to find the strike zone right from the get-go. The Diamondbacks cashed in with a first-inning rally: Geraldo Perdomo singled to lead off the inning, and Corbin Carroll worked a walk. A Giants fielding error allowed more runs to cross the plate. Even with Jake McCarthy striking out and runners in scoring position, another run came home on a dropped third strike.
But the major story, of course, was the early exit of Blake Snell after just one inning of work. His replacement, Landen Roupp, proved impactful. Roupp pitched four solid innings, giving up just one hit and flashing a good curveball. His effort in relief was huge in keeping the Giants in the game, as they won it by a single run eventually.
Merrill Kelly’s Strong Effort with a Bitter End
Merrill Kelly’s outing was strong, but eventually it got ruined in the fourth inning. In that fateful inning, Kelly had runners at second and third base with no outs. He did manage to strike out the next two batters with his effective changeup. However, Patrick Bailey’s two-out bloop single to left field tied the game, and all momentum shifted away from the Diamondbacks.
The silver lining regarding Kelly was the velocity he showed on the mound tonight. Averaging 92.1 mph tonight, as opposed to 91.3 mph in his prior starts, Kelly was closer to the pitcher he once was. That will be important going forward in these final months of the season: the Diamondbacks getting Kelly right will bolster this playoff push.
Immediately after Kelly left the game, it remained tight. Kevin Ginkel threw well, getting out of perhaps an even closer situation in the eighth. He came back out for the ninth but found trouble with a leadoff hit and runner in scoring position. He hit a decisive ball that would elude the Diamondbacks outfielders to give the Giants the walk-off win.
Conclusion
Even with this defeat, 3-2, it doesn’t dent their position for the season. They cling to a significant Wild Card spot and earn an opportunity to make an impact in the next series against the Houston Astros. Merrill Kelly’s great performance today gives hope to the team’s prospects while pushing through to the playoffs. They will be focused on much more closely this time with the likely return of MVP candidate Ketel Marte. This is the journey of the Diamondbacks, for whom there is much to be excited about as they enter a pivotal stretch in their season.
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