Merrill Kelly Rebounds With Brilliant Gem at Perfect Time for D-backs

A excellent outing when Arizona needed it most.

Aug 29, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (29) throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Merrill Kelly delivered one of his best starts of the year on Saturday, August 29 at Oracle Park, and it could not have come at a better time.

The Arizona Diamondbacks were playing game one of a doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants with a depleted and tired pitching staff. All Kelly did was fire seven scoreless innings in a 7-1 D-backs win.

Kelly Pitches Gem, Giving Offense a Chance

Aug 29, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (29) throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For a long time it looked like Kelly would once again be the victim of poor run support. Rookie left-hander Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson matched Kelly with six scoreless innings leading up to the seventh. But he walked the first two of the seventh and was pulled from the game.

Three batters later Lars Nootbaar came in as a pinch-hitter and launched a grand slam into McCovey Cove to finally give Kelly the run support he deserved. The D-backs tacked on runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Taylor Clarke gave up the lone Giants run.

LARS MADE A SPLASH!!! pic.twitter.com/dLP6tMcYCe

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 29, 2026

Nootbaar tipped his cap to Kelly during his postgame interview with Dbacks.TV's Todd Walsh.

"To be even in that spot there, It was because of him, and allowing [manager Torey Lovullo] to put me out there and let me hit there is because we were in a tight game, and Merrill kept it at zero," Nootbaar said.

Kelly had his great changeup working, producing both swing-and-miss and weak contact against a Giants lineup stacked with left-hand batters. Kelly induced whiffs on six of 22 swings on the pitch, and of the nine batted balls against he change, none went for hits and only one was a hard-hit ball. His second out of the game was his 1,000th career strikeout.

Kelly did walk four batters, but allowed just two hits while striking out 7. The only real trouble he had came in the fourth inning when a walk and a single with one out put runners on first and third. Ildemaro Vargas fielded a slow roller to second and came home with the throw to nab Bryce Eldridge at the plate, preserving the shutout.

From there Kelly allowed just one more baserunner, a two-out walk in the sixth inning. His final line included four walks, the only blemish. Despite the walks, at no time other than the fourth inning did the Giants have a runner in scoring position.

Kelly lowered his ERA to 5.08 and his record improved to 9-12. While it's been a difficult, up-and-down season for the pitcher previously holding the moniker of "The Mainstay", this outing could not have been more important.

Not only did he preserve the pen for game two, but allowed the D-backs to take a half game lead over the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card race. The Diamondbacks' record is 72-63, and they've climbed to nine games over .500 for the first time this year.

Game two of the doubleheader begins at 7:00 p.m. PST. Mitch Bratt was recalled from Triple-A Reno as the 27th man to start. The D-backs lead the series 2-1 and are hoping to pull off the doubleheader sweep.