The Arizona Diamondbacks won another game and inched a little closer to the postseason, but they also watched their No. 2 starter, Merrill Kelly, walk off the mound with a trainer by his side in the fifth inning of a 14-4 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday afternoon at Chase Field.
With a 2-1 count on Marcus Semien with nobody out in the fifth, Kelly bent at the waist, looked into the dugout and called for a visit. A minute later, he walked off the mound with a trainer toward the dugout, where he would fire his PitchCom device against a wall in frustration.
The club did not immediately provide an update on Kelly’s condition.
It was, otherwise, another delightful day for the club. Eugenio Suarez had four hits, including two homers and a double, in his latest offensive eruption. Ketel Marte had three hits, one of which was his first home run since returning from the injured list last week. Adrian Del Castillo and Randal Grichuk each homered and Corbin Carroll had two hits.
The win was the Diamondbacks’ 82nd of the season, assuring them of a winning record and leaving them just two shy of their total from last season with 16 games remaining. It gave them a sweep in what was an abbreviated, two-game set. They kept pace with at least the New York Mets, who won in Toronto. The San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves, the other clubs pushing for wild cards, were set to play later in the day. The Diamondbacks entered the day with a two-game lead on a wild-card spot.
Arizona never trailed on Wednesday. Marte (double), Carroll (triple) and Grichuk (homer) made it 3-0 after just three batters in the bottom of the first, and Suarez (homer) and Marte (RBI single) helped make it 5-0 after two.
The best-case scenario with Kelly probably involves more issues with muscle cramps, something he dealt with in three consecutive starts in August 2023. Each time, he pointed to the heat inside the ballpark as a factor, and though it did not feel overly warm at Chase Field on Wednesday afternoon, players often say the temperatures are significantly higher at field level.
Even if it is cramping, it creates a new potential worry for the Diamondbacks as they gear up for the postseason. The last thing they would want is for one of their top starters to have to leave a playoff game early.
—Nick Piecoro
Merrill Kelly exits with trainer in fifth inning
Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly left the game in the fifth inning after a trainer came out to take a look at something that appeared to be bothering him after he stepped off the mound prior to delivering a pitch.
Kelly grimaced and walked off the mound on his own. Slade Cecconi came in to pitch with no outs and a runner on first base.
The Diamondbacks lead 8-2, once again hammering the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers after Ketel Marte hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth.
Marte was 0-for-11 at the plate in his first three games since coming back from a sprained left ankle. In Wednesday’s game, he is 3 for 3 with four runs batted in.
-Jose M. Romero
Diamondbacks jump out to lead early vs. Rangers
The Diamondbacks scored three runs in the first and two more in the second, and they lead the Texas Rangers, 5-1, as play entered the fourth inning Wednesday at Chase Field.
Randal Grichuk and Eugenio Suarez each connected for homers while Ketel Marte (double), Corbin Carroll (triple) and Adrian Del Castillo (double) also had extra-base hits in the first two innings.
Marte added an RBI single in the second.
Right-hander Merrill Kelly had given up just one hit — a solo homer to Marcus Semien — through three innings. He walked one and struck out two.
The Diamondbacks are looking to complete a sweep of this two-game series. They won, 6-0, Tuesday night.
—Nick Piecoro
Coming up
Friday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-2, 5.83) vs. Brewers RHP Tobias Myers (7-5, 2.93).
Saturday: At Chase Field, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (10-6, 4.33) vs. Brewers RHP Freddy Peralta (10-8, 3.81).
Sunday: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (12-6, 3.55) vs. Brewers RHP Aaron Civale (6-8, 4.57).
