Merrill Kelly gives up five runs as Milwaukee Brewers batter Arizona Diamondbacks 13-2.
The Arizona Diamondbacks went into American Family Field on Tuesday night with the hopes of starting this three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers on a winning path.
But the Brewers attacked Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly for five runs and reliever Andrew Hoffman surrendered eight runs in one-third of an inning. Milwaukee went on to a 13-2 victory.
Kelly falls to 1-2 this season as he gave up six hits and five runs (all earned). Kelly walked five and struck out one as his ERA now sits at an incredibly high 9.20. After his one-third on Tuesday night, Hoffman now has an 8.49 ERA.
It's enough to possibly make Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo pull his hair out. Lovullo might want to review his pitching rotation and see if there's a solution to Kelly's early-season issues.
The Diamondbacks' offense was held to just three hits and two runs. With the Brewers up 3-0 in the fifth inning, James McCann came up to hit with the bases loaded and one out. McCann singled to left, bringing home Adrian Del Castillo and Jose Fernandez.
At that point, the D-backs were only down a run. The game was still within reach. But Kelly went out in the bottom of the fifth and gave up a two-run single to the Brewers' Alek Thomas. So, all that work the Diamondbacks did to get back into the ballgame went by the wayside.
Kelly's numbers in some key categories borderlines on the poor side, according to Baseball Savant. In pitching run value, fastball run value, and off-speed run value, Kelly's data indicates he's in the poor level of numbers. Kelly's xERA right now sits at 13.58 and his xBA numbers are at .364.
Once Kelly left, the Brewers went to work on Hoffman.
An eight-run sixth gave Milwaukee enough of a cushion that they rode it all the way to a victory in front of their fans.
Ildemaro Vargas raised his consecutive games hit streak to 24 games as he had one of the Diamondbacks' three hits. Vargas now has hit in 21 straight games to start the 2026 season, being a highlight reel all by himself. McCann and Tim Tawa had Arizona's other hits.
The Diamondbacks fall to 13-15 on the season, putting them in third place in the National League West Division. As for the Brewers, they now go to 15-13 overall and are in fourth place in the National League Central Division.
This three-game series in Milwaukee continues with a Wednesday night contest at American Family Field, followed by a Thursday afternoon matchup. Eduardo Rodriguez gets the start for the Diamondbacks on Wednesday night against the Brewers' Brandon Sproat.
The Diamondbacks stay in the Midwest, though, as they'll travel to the Windy City for a three-game weekend series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
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