Sep 16, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (29) following being pulled from the mound in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The visiting Arizona Diamondbacks will turn to Merrill Kelly on Saturday night as they look to win a four-game series against the playoff-bound Milwaukee Brewers.
Kelly (4-0, 4.00 ERA) will face fellow right-hander Aaron Civale (7-8, 4.48).
The Diamondbacks posted a 7-4 victory on Friday to earn their third straight win.
Ketel Marte hit his career-high 33rd homer of the season for Arizona, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. added a solo shot in his first game since being activated from the injured list earlier in the day. The Brewers (88-66) got all four runs from starter Zac Gallen on three homers in the fifth inning.
“There’s a lot of good things about tonight. We competed, we bounced back,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “Obviously, the Diamondbacks are playing very well; they’re playing for their lives.”
Arizona (86-68), which is 12-5 in its last 17 road games, is two games behind the San Diego Padres in the race for the top NL wild-card spot. The Mets fell one game behind the Diamondbacks following their 12-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I looked at the scoreboard from out of town while I was waiting for the pitchers to come out of the bullpen,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of the Mets’ result. “It was a quick glance, I wasn’t sure what had happened, but I confirmed it when I got here.”
“It’s a good feeling, but we’ve got, what, eight more games? There’s no deal done. We’ve got to go out there and play our best baseball from here on out. It’s good to win a game when the rest of the field isn’t. We’re going to enjoy it, but we’ll be ready to play tomorrow.”
Milwaukee has lost two straight since clinching the NL Central title on Wednesday. The Brewers are four games behind the Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL’s best record. The top two division winners will receive a bye to the first round of the playoffs.
Kelly is 2-0 with a 5.17 ERA in seven starts since coming off the injured list. In his previous start Monday, he allowed one run and two hits in six innings in a no-decision against the Colorado Rockies. Arizona lost 3-2.
Kelly is 3-2 with a 3.04 ERA in eight career meetings against the Brewers. He is 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA in his last five starts overall against them.
Civale, acquired from Tampa Bay in early July, is 5-0 with a 2.56 ERA in his last seven starts. In his last outing, he allowed one run in five innings to earn the win in a 6-2 victory over Philadelphia on Monday.
Civale, who has never faced the Diamondbacks, is 5-2 with a 3.68 ERA in 12 starts with Milwaukee.
“They’re one of the best offenses in baseball,” Murphy said of Arizona. “That’s it.”
–Field level media
