Merrill Kelly found his rhythm when Arizona needed it most. The right-hander allowed one run over seven innings, leading the Diamondbacks to a 2-1 victory over the New York Mets at Chase Field on Friday night.
Kelly (2-3) scattered three hits and struck out six while walking three. Carrying a 7.62 ERA, he delivered his strongest outing of the season to earn his second win. Paul Sewald closed with a perfect ninth inning for his eighth save, striking out two.
The Diamondbacks answered quickly after falling behind. Brett Baty doubled to center in the second inning, bringing home Marcus Semien for a 1-0 Mets lead. Arizona responded in the third when Ildemaro Vargas singled to left, scoring Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo to put the home team ahead 2-1.
Clay Holmes (4-3) took the loss for New York, allowing two runs on five hits over 5.2 innings. The former closer struck out six but couldn't match Kelly's effectiveness. Holmes entered with a 1.86 ERA but surrendered both Arizona runs in the third.
Arizona snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 17-20. New York fell to 15-23 despite the strong effort from Holmes. Sewald is 13 strikeouts away from 500 career strikeouts.