Kellys keep Diamondbacks rolling, beat Padres 5-1

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PHOENIX — Merrill Kelly gave the Diamondbacks another strong pitching performance, Carson Kelly hit a two-run homer and Arizona beat the San Diego Padres 5-1 on Tuesday night.

The Diamondbacks have won seven of their past eight games, improving to 12-11 for the season. It’s the first time they’ve been above .500 this year.

Coming off a doubleheader sweep in Atlanta on Sunday in which Madison Bumgarner pitched a no-hitter and Zac Gallen threw a one-hitter in a pair of seven-inning shutouts, Merrill Kelly kept up the mound mastery.

Kelly (2-2) gave up one run and four hits in six innings, striking out five. He lowered his ERA to 6.33 after struggling in his first four starts of the season.

Carson Kelly’s long, high-arching homer in the sixth pushed the D-backs ahead 5-1 and chased San Diego starter Chris Paddack (1-3) from the game. It was the catcher’s sixth homer of the season.

The Diamondbacks took a 2-0 lead in the second inning after Trent Grisham dropped Nick Heath’s line drive into the left-center gap. It looked like Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar could have made the easier play, but Grisham called him off and the ball richocheted off his glove and rolled to the wall.

Carson Kelly and Nick Ahmed scored while Heath made it all the way to third.

San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. scored the Padres’ lone run after reaching base in the sixth on a leadoff double.

THE NO-HITTER THAT WASN’T

Bumgarner’s won’t go into the official list of no-hitters. MLB’s eight-man committee on statistical accuracy decided in 1991 that a no-hitter was a game of nine or more innings that ended with no hits.

It took Bumgarner 98 pitches to get through the seven innings. Manager Torey Lovullo hinted that Bumgarner would have been allowed to throw somewhere in the range of 120 to 130 pitches before getting taken out of the game if he had been trying for a nine-inning no-hitter.

It’s a decision the manager is glad he didn’t have to make.

“He would have body-slammed me off the mound,” Lovullo said, laughing. “There’s no doubt about it.”

Arizona did have some fun with the non-accomplishment. They sent a press release on Tuesday entitled “D-backs ‘Will Not’ Create Special Ticket Offer For The No-Hitter That Didn’t Happen.”

The club is offering $14 tickets for Friday’s and Saturday’s game against Colorado, commemorating that the D-backs pitchers gave up just one hit through 14 innings against the Braves on Sunday.

TRAINER’S ROOM

D-backs: Lovullo said OF Ketel Marte (hamstring) had an encouraging follow-up MRI on his injury but still hasn’t done a lot of running. … OF Tim Locastro (dislocated finger) got his stitches out and will start gripping a bat soon … 1B Christian Walker (strained oblique) took batting practice on Tuesday at the alternate site. … RP Joakim Soria (strained calf) was scheduled to throw in an alternate site game on Tuesday. … RP Chris Devenski (restricted list) is back with the team and throwing at the alternate site. … OF Kole Calhoun left the game in the sixth inning after stealing third base.

UP NEXT

The Padres and Diamondbacks meet again on Wednesday night. San Diego LHP Ryan Weathers (1-0, 0.59) will try to continue the terrific start to his career. It will be the 21-year-old’s third career start. Arizona will counter with RHP Taylor Widener (1-0, 2.82).


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