Merrill Kelly pitched five strong innings in his return from a shoulder injury, Jake McCarthy had three hits and four RBIs, and the Arizona Diamondbacks continued their winning streak with a 12-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
The D-backs have now won their eighth consecutive series, taking three of four games from the Phillies. Since July 1, Arizona has posted a 25-10 record.
“I had some fun,” Kelly said. “Obviously, feels good to be back with the boys and be part of the good baseball they’re playing.”
Philadelphia has lost three games in a row and 10 of their last 14. The Phillies have given up 23 runs in the last two games.
McCarthy broke the game open in the fifth inning with a two-out, bases-clearing triple down the right-field line, scoring three runs and making it 8-2. McCarthy has been one of the hottest hitters in the league with a .403 average (25 of 62) over the past three weeks.
Rookie catcher Adrian Del Castillo added three hits and two RBIs. In his first three big league games, the 25-year-old is 7 of 12 at the plate, including a walk-off home run on Friday.
Corbin Carroll hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning, making it 12-5. It was his 11th home run of the season. Kevin Newman also had three hits, contributing to the team’s 18-hit attack.
Newman said the team’s hitting success has been contagious.
“When your guys are getting hits and finding barrels, it just somehow seems to put you in a better mindset,” Newman said. “It’s definitely a real thing.”
Kelly (3-0) was back on the mound after missing nearly four months due to a right shoulder strain. He was a key part of the Diamondbacks’ 2023 World Series run with a 12-8 record and 3.29 ERA.
He pitched five innings on 85 pitches, with the last four innings being scoreless. The 35-year-old allowed two runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out two.
“It looked like vintage Merrill,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “Mixing pitches, following a gameplan and getting us back into the dugout to score some runs.”
The Phillies went up 2-0 in the first inning with Alec Bohm’s two-run double into the right-center gap that scored Trea Turner and Bryce Harper. The D-backs cut that lead in half in the bottom of the first inning on Randal Grichuk’s RBI single.
