Arizona Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly’s seven-inning masterpiece silenced the San Francisco Giants along with Lars Nootbaar's first career grand slam.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have now won seven of their last 10 games as they took down the San Francisco Giants 7-1 in game one of a doubleheader.
Arizona desperately needed Merrill Kelly to put up a vintage performance, and the 37-year-old did just that.
Kelly, who came into this game with a 5.35 ERA and a less-than-stellar 8-12 record, threw seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits in the process.
He may have walked four batters, but he struck out seven in his longest start since Thursday, July 9. Officially, it's his most strikeouts in a game since September 5, 2025.
This game was a pitcher's duel through the first six innings, but chaos ensued in the seventh. The D-backs went to their bench to bring in Lars Nootbaar, who just so happened to hit his first career slam, which gave Arizona a commanding lead.
Nootbaar's first career grand slam
The 28-year-old had played exclusively for the St. Louis Cardinals prior to being dealt at the 2026 trade deadline.
In what was a relatively quiet deadline for the D-backs, they made a last-second move to acquire Nootbaar, someone who has given them a huge boost offensively, especially with Ketel Marte currently on the Injured List.
Neither team had anything going for them until Arizona put together a three-walk seventh inning. Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson had clearly run out of steam, and while Nolan Arenado grounded into a fielder's choice, Nootbaar wasn't about to let the Giants escape a bases-loaded situation.
Wilkinson was credited with two earned runs in what was easily the most impressive performance of his young MLB career. That said, the man who replaced him, Ryan Walker, was the one who gave up the grand slam.
In just 19 games with the D-backs, Nootbaar has already hit as many home runs (three) as he hit in his first 48 games of the year with the Cardinals.
Kelly's start steals the show
Despite clearly regressing this season, Kelly has still had a few starts where he brings out the best version of himself.
If the Diamondbacks are going to be a true playoff contender, they need him to keep up at this pace for the next month.
Kelly was pulled after seven nearly flawless innings, and while his four walks were the most he's had in a game since August 8, he consistently left the Giants runners stranded and exited after throwing 100 pitches for the first time since May 24.
