Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Strikes out eight in win
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Kelly (4-2) allowed a run on eight hits and struck out eight without walking a batter over seven innings to earn the win over the Giants on Monday.
Kelly was just a little better than opposing starter Justin Verlander in this pitching duel. The 36-year-old Kelly has now allowed exactly one run in five of his nine outings this season, and this start ended a stretch of four appearances without a win. The right-hander trimmed his ERA to 3.71 with a 1.06 WHIP and 41:12 K:BB across 51 innings this season. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Rockies this weekend.
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Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Solid in loss
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Kelly (3-2) took the loss Wednesday against the Mets, allowing three runs on six hits over 6.1 innings. He struck out six.
After leaving his last start early with a hamstring cramp, Kelly certainly appeared healthy Wednesday as he held the Mets scoreless on just two hits through his first five innings. However, the right-hander would give up a homer to Juan Soto in the sixth before New York tacked on two more runs in the seventh. The loss is Kelly's first since April 3 -- he hadn't allowed more than two runs in his previous four starts coming into Wednesday. Kelly's ERA now sits at 4.09 through his first 44 innings this year with a 1.05 WHIP and 33:12 K:BB. He's currently lined up to face the Giants on the road in his next outing.
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Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Ready to start Wednesday
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Kelly (hamstring) is listed as the Diamondbacks' probable starter or Wednesday's game against the Mets in Arizona.
The Diamondbacks are already having Corbin Burnes (shoulder) skip his start during the three-game series versus the Mets, but the team won't have to make any further additions to the rotation with Kelly having bounced back well since exiting his most recent outing Friday in Philadelphia due to right hamstring cramping. He's now experienced leg cramps in two of his last three starts, but Kelly has pitched effectively in each of those occasions. He'll enter Wednesday's contest with a 4.06 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 37.2 innings on the season.
Kelly was removed from Friday's start after five innings due to cramping in his right hamstring, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. He allowed one run on four hits and struck out two before being removed.
Kelly began to feel the cramping while warming up for the sixth inning and was removed after just 60 pitches. The cramping issue has dogged the 36-year old right-hander the last few seasons. "I wish I had a good answer for you guys," Kelly said. "We've tried all kinds of things. We've done all kinds of labs, all kinds of hydration stuff. If I had a good answer for you guys, I'd stop cramping." As of now, Kelly is expected to make his next scheduled start in five days.
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Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Gives up two homers in no-decision
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Kelly allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out four over six innings in a no-decision versus Atlanta on Saturday.
Kelly gave up solo shots to Marcell Ozuna in the first inning and Sean Murphy in the second. He settled in after that and left in line for the win before Jalen Beeks blew the lead by allowing three runs in the eighth. This was Kelly's third quality start of the season, and he came up just one out short of that achievement in his previous outing, which was cut short by a minor leg injury. The right-hander is now at a 4.41 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 25:12 K:BB across 32.2 innings over six starts this season. The walk rate is a little elevated, but nothing is too far out of line with his career norms. Kelly's next start is projected to be at Philadelphia.
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Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Ready to start Saturday
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Kelly (leg) is listed as the Diamondbacks' scheduled starting pitcher for Saturday's game against Atlanta at Chase Field.
Kelly was lifted in the sixth inning of his latest start Sunday after experiencing right leg cramping, but the issue never appeared to be serious enough to keep him from making his next turn through the rotation. Since being torched for nine earned runs over 3.2 innings in an April 3 loss to the Yankees, Kelly has been sharp over his last three starts, going 2-0 with a 2.04 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and 18:4 K:BB across 17.2 frames.
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Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Exits early Sunday
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Kelly (leg) exited Sunday's contest against the Cubs in the bottom of the sixth inning due to right leg cramping.
Kelly had tossed 5.2 innings of one-run ball, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out five batters before being forced to leave the game. The right-hander retired the final 16 batters he faced in the contest, and his status moving forward is likely day-to-day. Kelly is projected to make his next start Saturday against Atlanta, and it's unclear if he's in danger of missing that outing.
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Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Fans nine in win
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Kelly (3-1) allowed a run on three hits and a walk over six innings Tuesday, striking out nine and earning a win over the Marlins.
Kelly cruised to an easy win while his offense posted a double-digit scoring performance. The lone run against him was an RBI groundout from Liam Hicks in the second inning. Kelly forced a season-high 13 whiffs after generating just 19 total in his first three starts. He still owns an unsightly 5.57 ERA, but that was mostly due to his nine-run blow-up start against the Yankees on April 3. Kelly is currently projected for a road matchup against the Cubs this weekend.
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Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Rallies for second win
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Kelly (2-1) picked up the win in Tuesday's 4-3 victory over the Orioles, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks over six-plus innings. He struck out four.
The veteran right-hander was tagged for a pair of runs in the first inning, an ominous sign after Kelly got ambushed by the Yankees his last time out, but he steadied the ship after that and produced his first quality start of the season on 89 pitches (61 strikes). Kelly's 7.20 ERA still shows the scars of that trip to the Bronx, and his 7:9 K:BB in 15 innings hasn't been fantasy-friendly, but he may be trending in the right direction. He's scheduled to make his next start on the road early next week in Miami.
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Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Demolished by Yankees in loss
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Kelly (1-1) took the loss after allowing nine runs on nine hits and three walks in 3.2 innings Thursday against the Yankees. He struck out two.
Thursday's showing was ugly from the get-go for Kelly, who served up a three-run home run to Aaron Judge in the first inning before recording a single out. Trent Grisham added an RBI double in the opening frame and also belted a two-run shot in the third inning, with Kelly's night finally coming to a merciful end after a Jazz Chisholm two-run homer in the fourth. Kelly will look to put this disastrous performance in the rear-view mirror in his next scheduled start, which lines up for early next week at home against the Orioles.
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Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Picks up win despite shaky control
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Kelly (1-0) recorded the win in Friday's 8-1 rout of the Cubs, allowing one run on three hits and four walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out one.
It was far from a dominant outing for the 36-year-old righty to kick off the season, but Kelly minimized the damage from his free passes and got more than enough offensive support. He left the mound after 85 pitches (51 strikes). Kelly will likely need to be sharper in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come on the road next week against the Yankees.
Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Wraps up Cactus League
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Kelly allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six over five innings in Saturday's spring start against the Giants.
The Giants tagged Kelly for three consecutive home runs in the fourth inning of his final Cactus League start, but the right-hander told Manny Randhawa of MLB.com that this was the best he's felt all camp. The Diamondbacks' rotation order hasn't been set beyond Opening Day starter Zac Gallen, but Kelly is considered to be part of the top three, which also includes Corbin Burnes. That means he'll likely make his next start Thursday or Friday against the Cubs.
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Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Works on slider
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Kelly allowed three runs on six hits while striking out four over 2.2 innings in Monday's spring start against the Angels.
Kelly was tagged for all three runs in the second inning of his fourth Cactus League start. It was an efficient outing, as Kelly required 66 pitches to get those eight outs. He hinted to Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports that the high pitch count was partially due to a pitcher using spring contests to test out pitches he might not normally throw in certain situations during the regular season. Kelly worked on his slider Monday, throwing it 24 percent of the time. "I think that was one of the things I walked away with today, with how good it's been in spring," Kelly said. It's a pitch the right-hander hasn't used much during his career and only started introducing the last few seasons.
Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Scoreless spring outing
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Kelly allowed five hits while striking out one over 3.1 scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Royals.
Kelly threw 48 pitches in his third Cactus League start, the same number of pitches he threw the last time out, March 7, against the Mariners. He navigated first-inning trouble with the help of his defense; a baserunner was caught attempting to steal and a second one was picked off by Kelly, the third time he's picked off a runner this spring. After three spring outings, Kelly has a 2.35 ERA over 7.2 innings.
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Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Gets in work Thursday
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Kelly allowed two runs on four hits and two walks over 2.1 innings while striking out three in Thursday's split-squad start against the Mariners.
Kelly threw 48 pitches (30 strikes) in his second Cactus League outing. The right-hander allowed multiple baserunners in each of his first two innings and experienced a slight drop in velocity relative to his first spring outing, but his rotation spot isn't in jeopardy and Kelly's focus at this stage of the spring is on getting stretched out.
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Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Makes spring debut
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Kelly allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over two innings in Friday's spring start against the Royals.
This was Kelly's first appearance in Cactus League action, and the 36-year-old right-hander showed extra juice on his fastball. He averaged 92 mph on his two- and four-seamers in 2024 but threw a number of fastballs at 94-plus Friday. The uptick in velo is an encouraging sign for Kelly, who missed a large part of 2024 due to a shoulder injury.
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