That’s more like it for Merrill Kelly in Diamondbacks’ win vs. Mets

PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly pitched “much, much, much better” on Saturday against the New York Mets than he had thrown previously this season.

Kelly allowed one run in seven innings to propel the Diamondbacks to a 2-1 victory over New York.

Paul Sewald recorded Arizona’s first save since April 17, as the D-backs snapped a three-game losing streak.

Kelly came into Saturday having allowed 19 runs in his last three starts, as his command had not been sharp since he came off the injured list. Walks and slug have led to crooked numbers.

Saturday was much closer to what he has been searching for.

“You guys have seen me long enough to know that if I’m commanding the ball, I’ve got a pretty good chance,” Kelly said. “If I’m not, it’s going to be a long day for me. … I’ve been putting myself in bad counts, putting people on with free passes and then getting hurt after that. So I was able to limit a little bit of the damage.”

Kelly attacked the zone more effectively, and although he allowed some hard contact, he earned the Diamondbacks’ fourth quality start in their last five games.

The right-hander struck out six batters with three walks, and he retired the final seven Mets he faced. Saturday was his first game without allowing a home run this season (five starts).

The Mainstay

Merrill delivered seven innings of one-run ball today 🙌 pic.twitter.com/GyRT4f4mCz

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) May 10, 2026

Kelly said he has made some mechanical adjustments focused on “not being in a hurry to get down the mound,” staying behind the baseball, putting more force into the ground and letting his mechanics develop without feeling rushed.

The changeup, he said, felt a lot more normal.

“When he’s throwing the changeup where he wants, he’s fearless and he’s gonna get a lot of rollover with that pitch,” manager Torey Lovullo said.

This has been a great week for the starting rotation.

D-backs starters have accounted for 33 innings and seven earned runs in the last five games, an ERA of 1.91. This is Arizona’s first stretch this season with five straight starts of at least six innings.

The D-backs are only 2-3 in those games, but the pitching staff has done its job keeping games winnable, a significant improvement from what was going on a week ago.

“We’re the ones setting the tone, and it’s our job to give the team as many innings and give our team the best chance to win,” Kelly said.

“I think we went through that little rut of pitching bad, but I think that’s just baseball. I think it’s pretty early to be panicking. I think we as a collective group, I haven’t talked to them, but I think it might be the domino effect, right? One guy pitches good, and then the next guy up wants to pitch as good, and so on and so forth.”

Merrill Kelly felt "much, much, much better" about his outing today after seven strong innings against the Mets. pic.twitter.com/OYK7KRwLsR

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) May 10, 2026

Taylor Clarke threw a 1-2-3 eighth inning, as he has allowed one earned run in his last 17 games. Sewald followed with a 1-2-3 ninth and remained a perfect 8-for-8 on the season in save chances.

The defense behind the pitching staff was solid, including center fielder Ryan Waldschmidt, who started his first big league game. The top prospect struck out three times at the plate, but he had a ton of action on defense, catching eight fly balls in his new territory. Through eight innings, one-third of Arizona’s outs recorded were caught by Waldschmidt.

Diamondbacks still struggle to score

The Mets also received a solid outing from starter Clay Holmes on Saturday, as the Diamondbacks’ lineup could not break out of its slump. The D-backs had opportunities with runners in scoring position but went 1-for-9.

An Ildemaro Vargas two-run single in the third inning was the difference in the game, as Holmes worked 5.2 frames with the two runs allowed. Arizona recorded two hits after the third inning.

The top three of Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo went 3-for-12 combined, with Carroll and Perdomo scoring the two runs.

The D-backs have scored two runs or fewer in four straight games and seven of their last 11 games.

Series finale

The final game between the Diamondbacks (18-20) and Mets (15-24) in 2026 starts at 1:10 p.m. MST on Sunday. Eduardo Rodriguez (2.50 ERA) will pitch for Arizona.

The Mets’ Sunday starter was listed as TBA as of the final out on Saturday.

With a win, the D-backs would claim the season series, 4-2.

Catch the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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