Merrill Kelly may finally be finding his rhythm again after one of the toughest stretches of his season.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have needed more consistency from their veteran right-hander, especially with the rotation battling injuries and the team fighting to stay in the National League Wild Card race.

The Diamondbacks are currently 47-47, 4.5 games behind the Miami Marlins for the final National League Wild Card spot.

Thursday’s outing against the San Diego Padres was an encouraging step in that direction.

Kelly gave up one run on three hits (one home run) with six strikeouts and three walks in seven innings in a 3-1 road win.

The performance gave Arizona exactly what it needed from one of its veteran starters.

Kelly worked deep into the game, limited the damage, and helped take pressure off a bullpen that has logged plenty of important innings throughout the season.

The outing also continued a positive trend that has started to develop during July.

Kelly is now 7-8 with a 5.38 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 93.2 innings across 16 starts this season. He has 59 strikeouts against 38 walks.

Those overall numbers still reflect the difficult stretch he endured just a few weeks ago.

Kelly was disastrous in June. He went 0-5 with a 7.31 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in 28.1 innings over five starts, with 14 strikeouts against 11 walks.

That month put him in a difficult position and created understandable concerns about the direction of his season.

Instead of allowing those struggles to continue, Kelly has responded with two strong performances to begin July.

He turned things around and is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 12 innings across two starts in July.

While there is still plenty of baseball left to play, the early signs have been encouraging for both Kelly and the Diamondbacks.

Arizona will need its veteran starters to perform if it hopes to remain in the postseason race, and Kelly’s recent turnaround could not have arrived at a better time.

The Diamondbacks have relied heavily on younger pitchers throughout the year because of injuries across the rotation.

If Kelly continues building on his last two outings, he can provide much-needed stability while easing the workload on the rest of the pitching staff.

Kelly’s success has always come from his ability to outthink hitters rather than overpower them. He changes speeds effectively, works both sides of the plate, and rarely relies on the same sequence from one at-bat to the next.

His feel for pitching allows him to recognize adjustments quickly and respond before opposing lineups gain an advantage.

That approach has helped him succeed against a wide variety of hitters throughout his career. When his command is sharp, Kelly consistently limits hard contact and keeps innings under control.

Those qualities have made him an important part of Arizona’s rotation for years. The Diamondbacks will be hoping his strong start to July marks the beginning of another extended stretch of dependable pitching.

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