Diamondbacks' Offense Squanders Merrill Kelly's Quality Start

It what might have been Kelly's final start as a Diamondback, the offense was silent.

Jul 26, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (29) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The look on starter Merrill Kelly's face looking out onto the field with his arms folded across the top of the dugout railing said it all. In what might have been his final start in a Diamondbacks uniform, his team was shut out by the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday night, losing 2-0.

With the drama of the mid-game trade of Randal Grichuk taking place, the offense was completely distracted and could get nothing going, wasting a quality start by Merrill Kelly.

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The Diamondbacks mustered just four hits and drew just one walk in the contest. This after scoring one run on five hits in 11 innings on Friday. Over their last five games, Arizona is batting just .214 and have scored eight runs, losing four of those games.

Manager Torey Lovullo was asked by Todd Walsh where the offense went. "I don't know" Lovullo said. "We're not grinding things down per at-bat. I think we're going out of the zone, trying to do too much."

Kelly threw 6.2 innings, allowing two runs, one earned. Both runs came on a home run by Oneil Cruz in the bottom of the second inning. Just prior to the homer, Eugenio Suarez botched a very routine player to put a man on base.

Kelly worked around some base traffic from there, allowing five hits and a walk, but was in control nonetheless in holding the Pirates from any further scoring. His ERA dropped to 3.22 but he took the loss and is now 9-6.

Kelly is a free agent at the end of 2025, and is widely expected to be traded before the MLB July 31 trade deadline.

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Speaking about Kelly's outing Lovullo said "I think he wanted to choke me for taking him out of the game at that point in time. But he did his job, and it was time for him to turn over the bullpen."

"He was attacking, he was just maneuvering the baseball. I think maybe fatigued a little bit in that last inning. He started to throw some balls, and that's not him. But overall, I thought he did an unbelievable job. He never left the dugout" Lovullo said.

Andrew Saalfrank got a big strikeout to end the seventh inning with men on base, and Kendall Graveman pitched a scoreless ninth.

Pirates starter Andrew Heaney threw the first five innings, allowing just two hits and didn't walk a batter. Three Pirates relievers got the ball to David Bednar who pitched a perfect ninth inning to record his 16th save.

The Diamondbacks are now 51-54, and will try to win the rubber match of the series on Sunday. That will be no easy task, as they'll be facing ace Paul Skenes.

Zac Gallen starts for Arizona, in what could be his last start as a Diamondback as well. First pitch is 10:35 a.m. MST.