Kelly, Diamondbacks Avoid Sweep by Red Sox

Merrill Kelly pitches during the 4–2 Diamondbacks victory over the Red Sox.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

May 28, 2023

Diamondbacks 4, Red Sox 2

PHOENIX, May 28 — Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Corbin Carroll hit a two-run home run, part of a three-run first inning, to lead his team to a 4–2 victory over the Boston Red Sox Sunday afternoon at Chase Field. Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo added a solo homer in the second, giving Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly an early 4–0 lead to work with. It was more than Kelly needed, as he allowed one run on four hits, walking two and striking out ten across 6 1/3 innings.

“Merrill was great,” manager Torey Lovullo said postgame. “I had the feeling that I just needed to stay out of his way. …he was making statements with each inning and each pitch that he was making that ‘I got this.’ ”

An Early Lead

The Diamondbacks seemed to exorcise their hitting woes from the first two games of the series when they batted in the bottom of the first against Tanner Houck. Second baseman Ketel Marte got the ball rolling with a one-out single to right. Carroll brought him home with his two-run homer to the left-field bleachers, giving the Diamondbacks a 2–0 lead.

“It was great to see Corbin get us off that little bit of an offensive rut with that big two-run home run,” Lovullo said. “But it was clearly evident to me that our guys went out there with an all-field approach — something I mentioned yesterday.”

First baseman Christian Walker kept the hit parade going with a single to left, advancing to third when left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed with a single to center. Third baseman Josh Rojas plated Walker with a single to left, making it 3–0. Catcher Gabriel Moreno and right fielder Jake McCarthy could not continue the merry-go-round, the former grounding into a 6–4 force play and the latter lining to left for the third out.

After the Perdomo homer in the second, Houck settled down, retiring the next nine in a row before giving way to Joely Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Kelly only allowed three baserunners his first two times through the Red Sox lineup, allowing two hits and a walk through five scoreless innings.

Red Sox Slash Deficit in Half, but Diamondbacks Hang On

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Kelly held the Red Sox scoreless into the seventh before running into some trouble. With one out, first baseman Triston Casas lined a single to right. Shortstop Enrique Hernandez walked, putting runners on first and second and ending Kelly’s day. Left-hander Andrew Chafin took the ball and walked the first batter he faced, pinch-hitter Rob Refsnyder. This loaded the bases for catcher Connor Wong, whose fly to left for the second out was too shallow for any runners to advance on a tag-up.

Right fielder Alex Verdugo, however, made sure the Red Sox didn’t completely waste the opportunity. His single to left brought in Casas to make it a 4–1 game. It became a 4–2 game in the eighth when Justin Turner launched new pitcher Kyle Nelson’s first pitch into the left-field bleachers for a solo homer. A Masataka Yoshida infield hit and two strikeouts later, Jose Ruiz relieved Nelson to face the right-handed section of the lineup. Hernandez, the first to face him, drew a walk to put runners on first and second. Pinch-hitter Raimel Tapia belted a deep fly to left, raising the hopes of Red Sox fans while scaring the Diamondbacks faithful. It died on the warning track, however, allowing Gurriel to make the catch and preserve the 4–2 lead.

The Ninth

Miguel Castro took the hill for the Diamondbacks in the top of the ninth, tasked with sealing the victory. He struck out the first batter, pinch-hitter Reese McGuire. Verdugo legged out an infield single to third, bringing up Rafael Devers as the tying run. He hit a potential double-play grounder up the middle, but with both middle infielders going for the ball, no one could cover second. Perdomo fielded it and got the out at first, bringing up Turner. Castro struck him out to end the game and give the Diamondbacks a sweep-avoiding victory.

Quick Hits

With his first-inning single, Ketel Marte extended his on-base streak to 27 games. … Pavin Smith, with his 0-for-4 day, is now 4-for his last-45 (.089). … Chafin allowed one of his two inherited runners to score, bringing his total to 8-of-15, 53%. The NL average is 30%. … Castro had another scoreless relief outing Sunday, his 23rd of the season. He leads both the NL and the majors in that category.

Justin Turner’s eighth-inning home run was his 11th at Chase Field. Among active players who have never played for the Diamondbacks, Turner is tied with Nolan Arenado for sixth all-time in that category. Only Trevor Story (13), Brandon Belt, Charlie Blackmon, Freddie Freeman, and Wil Myers (all with 12) have more. When asked if he’s glad Turner — a former Los Angeles Dodger — was out of his division, Lovullo simply said, “Very.”

With the win, the Diamondbacks halted their losing streak at three. They have two three-game losing streaks in 2023, also doing so from May 9 to 11. In that streak, they had two losses to the Miami Marlins and one to the San Francisco Giants. They have yet to lose as many as four in a row in 2023 and also have not been swept yet.

Looking Ahead

Kelly (6–3) earned the win, while Houck (3–4) took the loss. Castro notched his fifth save in six chances. The Diamondbacks (30–23) continue their homestand with a four-game Monday-to-Thursday series against the Colorado Rockies (24–30), while the Red Sox (28–25) head home. For the Diamondbacks Monday afternoon, right-hander Ryne Nelson (1–2, 5.02 ERA) will toe the rubber against Rockies right-hander Karl Kauffmann (0–2, 9.35 ERA). First pitch will be at 1:10 pm Arizona Time.

The Red Sox, after a Monday off-day, will open a seven-day homestand. First they will face the Cincinnati Reds (24–29) in a three-game series. A four-game Friday-through-Sunday series with the Tampa Bay Rays (39–16) will follow, including a pre-scheduled Saturday double header. On Tuesday, the Red Sox will start right-hander Brayan Bello (3–2, 4.08 ERA) against Reds right-hander Ben Lively (2–2, 2.65 ERA). First pitch will be at 7:10 pm Eastern Time.