Merrill Kelly's 2026 Debut Was Uncharacteristic

It was a bit strange to witness Arizona Diamondbacks veteran right-hander Merrill Kelly land just over 50% of his pitches for strikes on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles. But in true consistent, "mainstay" fashion, Kelly came out of his first start of the 2026 season with his first win.

Kelly was able to get through 5.1 inefficient, yet effective innings. He allowed five hits and only two earned runs. The uncharacteristic part were the walks. Kelly issued four free passes, including one with the bases loaded to score his second run of the game.

And yet, in a way, Kelly's start was precisely on-brand, by virtue of the fact that he was able to keep a handle on the contest and give his team a chance despite clearly not having his best stuff or command.

"It's so Merrill, isn't it? He gets himself into trouble, takes a deep breath and just executes to get out of the jam," manager Torey Lovullo told D-backs.TV's Jody Jackson postgame.

"He eliminates that big number. Two [runs] is much easier than four or five, and we've seen those big innings. It's Merrill being Merrill and doing Merrill things all the time, he just attacks the zone."

Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly makes gritty first start

Mar 18, 2026; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly (29) throws against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Kelly mixed his pitches with a relatively even split. His velocity averaged just over 91 MPH on his fastball, and just under that mark on his cutter. His heavy-hitting changeup sat around 88 MPH.

The 37-year-old veteran picked up 11 whiffs, with four coming on the changeup. He did give up some hard contact, including a 109 MPH solo home run in the second inning, but the game never quite slipped away.

Kelly's value throughout his years has lied in his ability to deliver consistently study results, even in unideal circumstances. Tuesday's debut was a prime example of such a feat. These types of starts may not be ultimately sustainable in the long-term, but for his first start off the IL, all the D-backs could have asked for was a win — and Kelly delivered just that.

He did get some help from the bullpen, of course, who rebounded from the brutal eight-run meltdown just one game prior.

Diamondbacks bullpen holds on

Mar 30, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryan Thompson (81) leaves the game against the Detroit Tigers in the seventh inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Righty Taylor Clarke entered for Kelly with a runner on first and one out. James McCann caught the runner stealing, and Clarke retired the next batter without trouble. Clarke came back out for the seventh and worked a 1-2-3 inning.

Juan Morillo, working his first game in four days, nearly let the lead slip away. He landed just 14 of his 28 pitches for strikes, and a missed opportunity for a double play by Geraldo Perdomo helped Baltimore pull within one run, loading the bases with two outs.

Ryan Thompson put out the fire, however, and Paul Sewald worked a 1-2-3 save. Sewald is 6-for-6 in save opportunities.

Ildemaro Vargas powers Diamondbacks to victory

Apr 14, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ildemaro Vargas (6) greeted by catcher James McCann (8) after hitting a three-run home run during the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

It was a quiet offensive game for Arizona, but they got the big hit they needed out of Ildemaro Vargas in the fifth inning. Vargas, in the lineup for Ketel Marte (who was scratched with back tightness) crushed a three-run homer to flip a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead, extending his season-opening hit streak to a franchise-record 11 games.

Rookie Jose Fernandez followed that up with a double for what would ultimately be a very necessary insurance run. Fernandez finished 2-for-4 and is hitting .318 on the season.

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