Merrill Kelly's Start vs Mets Was Huge Sigh of Relief for the D-backs

On Saturday night, the Arizona Diamondbacks finally got something they'd been awaiting for quite some time: a true Quality Start out of right-hander Merrill Kelly.

Kelly, who entered Saturday night's contest with a 9.95 ERA as a result of three straight poor starts, may have needed a confidence boost more than anyone else. And the D-backs, who have begun to turn things around in the rotation department, got exactly what they were hoping for out of their veteran righty.

Merrill Kelly looks more like old self vs Mets

May 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly (29) pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Kelly delivered just what Arizona was hoping to see Saturday night, throwing seven innings for the first time this season while allowing only one earned run. He gave up three base hits and three walks — one of which was an intentional walk to Mets star outfielder Juan Soto.

Now, it's not as if this outing was perfect. He did surrender plenty of hard contact, and threw just over 60% of his pitches for strikes (96-58). But he also managed to set a season-high in strikeouts, and picked up both 13 whiffs and 13 called strikes in the process.

The command is inching back towards its former level, and the stuff looks as good as it has.

Kelly's struggles have been a blend of poor command, poor batted ball luck and a lack of stamina. It all added up to one of the worst stretches of his career in his three previous outings, in which he surrendered 19 runs in 13.2 innings.

Most concerning in that stretch was his inability to throw consistent strikes, which led to an immense walk total. Kelly had walked 15 batters in his first four starts of the year since coming off the Injured List.

Diamondbacks' rotation performing well

Apr 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly reacts in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Ever since manager Torey Lovullo called the entire D-backs rotation into his office for a "one-way" conversation, Arizona's starters have flipped a switch.

In their last turn through, all five of Arizona's starting pitchers have managed to complete at least six innings, and all but Zac Gallen (who fell one run short) have recorded Quality Starts.

It's the first time Arizona has put together five straight six-inning performances since the end of 2025, and was also the first time they had delivered back-to-back outings of six innings, one or fewer runs, three or fewer hits and six-plus strikeouts since the 2021 season.

The Diamondbacks have lost five straight games, but it has not exactly been the fault of their starting pitchers.

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