Diamondbacks Still Have No Answers for Mets in Blowout Loss

Prior to yesterday's game, Diamondbacks assistant GM Mike Fitzgerald announced on radio that Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly would start eight of the team's last 16 games in their push to capture the National League Wild Card. For the second straight game, the Mets crushed a D-backs co-ace, leading to an 11-1 rout and a series loss in New York.

Kelly's outing got off to a promising start, retiring the first six batters he faced. He struck out three and induced a couple of weak pop ups. He looked completely in command and ready to duel Mets starter Kodai Senga. Inexplicably Kelly completely lost his control in the third inning, walking the 7th, 8th, 9th hitters in the order to load the bases with nobody out. Brandon Nimmo made him pay with a two-run double down the right field line. Kelly limited the damage that inning by getting three straight groundouts, but was not so lucky in the fifth.

A one out single and his fourth walk of the game was followed an RBI double from Pete Alonso and an two-run single from D.J. Stewart. The pain wasn't over however as Jeff McNeil lifted a two-run homer to right that just cleared the wall. Kelly's velocity was down to 89 MPH by that point and the pitch was middle-middle. The five-run inning made it the second straight game that a Diamondbacks ace starter gave up seven runs. Zac Gallen gave up seven runs in a loss to the Mets yesterday.

Kelly's final line was 5 IP, 6H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 7K, 1 HR. Perhaps even more concerning is his velocity for the entire game was down 1.5 MPH compared to his season average. With three more starts to go, and having battled a blood clots and then hamstring cramps all season, it's not clear how much he has left in the tank.

Another familiar theme was the complete lack of offense from the Diamondbacks while the game result was still in question. Senga struck out two batters in each of the first five innings and retired 13 in a row following a Tommy Pham two-out single in the first. That streak was finally broken in the 6th when Emmanuel Rivera led off with a base hit to left. Senga then walked Ketel Marte and Pham to load the bases for Christian Walker. The D-backs cleanup hitter flew out to center unfortunately, preserving the shutout. Walker entered the game 2-for-28 on this road trip without an RBI and went 0-4 today.

By that point, Torey Lovullo had seen enough. He emptied his bench for the bottom of the 6th, putting Jordan Lawlar, Jake McCarthy, and Jace Peterson and removing Marte, Pham, and Walker. Joe Mantiply came on to pitch and managed to throw a scoreless 6th but was charged with an unearned run in the 7th to make it 8-0. Scott McGough gave up a three run homer in the 8th inning. It was the 14th homer he's allowed in 70 innings pitched. Lovullo then sent out catcher Seby Zavala to get the last two outs and he induced two pop outs to mercifully end the inning.

The D-backs avoided the shutout when Corbin Carroll singled with two outs in the 8th to break an 0-13 streak in he series. That was followed by a double from Jake McCarthy down the right field line to plate the D-backs lone run.

The Mets took six of seven from the Diamondbacks for the season series, putting a big dent in Arizona's playoff push. Fortunately the Reds and Marlins both lost and the Giants were rained out, creating difficult scheduling issues for them if the game needs to be made up. The D-backs playoff road, which we wrote about earlier today, didn't take a big hit today despite the result of this game with the Reds and Marlins dropping their game and the Giants idle due to weather in Colorado.

The D-backs fly home tonight to play the Cubs tomorrow night at Chase Field. It's not going to get any easier as leading Cy Young contender Justin Steele is on the mound for the Cubs, and will square off against struggling rookie Brandon Pfaadt. First pitch is 6:40