The Arizona Diamondbacks ended up on the wrong side of a hard-fought battle in their series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Monday, losing 3-2 in 10 innings.

The loss marks the third in a row for Arizona. How did it happen?

For more than half the game, neither the Diamondbacks nor the Pirates could put runs on the board.

Through five innings, each defense held the opposing offense in check, as Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly and Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller battled it out on the mound. It has not been a great season for Kelly, but he had a more stable outing on Monday.

Over five innings, there were only four combined hits by both clubs. Then, in the sixth inning, Arizona’s offense finally broke through.

It began with a leadoff single by Corbin Carroll before Geraldo Perdomo added one of his own. Ketel Marte followed up with a single as well to load the bases, and Max Kepler drove two runs in with a double to give the Diamondbacks a 2-0 lead and end Keller’s night.

However, the Pirates had an immediate response when Kelly allowed a single in the bottom of the sixth before committing a throwing error on a pickoff attempt. Then, a successful bunt by Brandon Lowe scored a run for Pittsburgh.

Kelly’s evening ended after he allowed a subsequent walk. Over 5.1 innings of work, he gave up six hits, two earned runs and one walk while striking out four batters.

Neither team produced in the seventh inning, but the eighth brought chaotic results when Pirates manager Don Kelly was ejected. Following his ejection, Diamondbacks reliever Jonathan Loaisiga gave up an RBI double to Bryan Reynolds that tied the game.

When both clubs failed to gain the lead in the ninth, the game went to the 10th, where Taylor Clarke allowed a walkoff RBI single to Lowe, sealing Arizona’s defeat.

In the end, it was a low-scoring contest, and Pittsburgh’s offense did just a little more than the Diamondbacks’ could. Arizona went 8-for-39 at the plate, while the Pirates went 9-for-36.

It was good for Arizona that Kelly was able to have a better outing, and he has been producing moderately better results as of late. It was not a masterful performance by any means, but considering he has had starts in which he has allowed six, seven and even eight runs, the Diamondbacks will take what they can get.

Still, this is a bad time for a losing streak. There is plenty of time left in the regular season, but it is going fast, and the stakes are getting higher. With the loss to the Pirates, Arizona has fallen behind them in the National League Wild Card standings, which makes winning this series vital.

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