Jun 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly (29) throws in opposition to the Seattle Mariners within the first inning at Chase Area. Obligatory Credit score: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Photographs
The Arizona Diamondbacks will hunt for a house sequence sweep over Nationwide League West rival San Diego on Sunday afternoon behind Merrill Kelly, their best pitcher this season.
The Padres will counter with their winningest pitcher, Nick Pivetta.
Kelly (6-2, 3.18 ERA) will carry a 15 1/3-inning scoreless streak into the sequence finale in Phoenix in a matchup of right-handers. Pivetta (6-2, 3.48) received 5 of his first six begins however has struggled these days.
The Diamondbacks scored 5 runs within the ninth inning for an 8-7 victory Saturday. It was their fifth straight win and their second walk-off victory within the six-game homestand, which is able to conclude on Sunday.
Arizona has a major-league-high 39 runs within the ninth inning.
“It has been a troublesome season up thus far, however happy with the blokes and the best way that we have managed to rally,” proper fielder Corbin Carroll mentioned. “To have the ability to get again over .500 is superior, and now we simply should hold going.”
The Diamondbacks are two video games over .500 for the primary time since Might 21 and have closed to inside 2 1/2 video games of the third-place Padres, who’ve misplaced three video games in a row and 4 of their final 5.
“It is simply discovering what we had been doing and remembering how we did it,” San Diego second baseman Jake Cronenworth mentioned about correcting the latest hunch.
Kelly has pitched 13 scoreless innings in his final two begins, though he received solely a kind of as a result of the bullpen blew a 4-0 lead with two outs and nobody on within the ninth inning of an 8-4, 11-inning victory over Seattle in his final begin Monday.
“The extra I am on the sting (of the plate), the higher the day is for me,” Kelly mentioned. “That is type of how I make my dwelling. That is type of how I survive. I haven’t got the stuff to be over the center. I positively do not have the fastball to be over the center.
“I make my cash dwelling on the sting and making guys swing at pitches that they may not wish to swing at.”
Since giving up 9 runs in a loss to the New York Yankees on April 3, Kelly is 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA in 12 appearances. His season ERA is 3.18, the bottom it has been since that begin in opposition to the Yankees.
“Clearly with (ace) Corbin (Burnes) happening, all people has to step up,” Kelly mentioned. “Even with out Corbin being down (Tommy John surgical procedure), we nonetheless must. I am simply attempting to seize that momentum and hold the prepare shifting.”
Kelly is 9-4 with a 3.36 ERA in 16 profession begins in opposition to the Padres, his most victories in opposition to any opponent. He misplaced his one begin in opposition to them final season. Fernando Tatis Jr. is 8-for-25 with 4 homers off him.
Pivetta has received solely one in all his final seven begins. He has given up 5 runs in every of his final two outings, no-decisions in losses to the Giants and Dodgers.
“Might have gotten forward a little bit bit higher, earlier on, made some higher pitches,” Pivetta mentioned after giving up 5 runs in 4 innings on Monday within the Padres’ 8-7, 10-inning loss to the Dodgers the final day out.
Pivetta is 1-1 with a 4.63 ERA in three profession appearances in opposition to the Diamondbacks.
–Area Degree Media