Well, in the broader scheme of things, that probably went about as well as could be expected. It was a Merrill Kelly start, after all. He hasn't picked up a W in more than a month, his last win coming back on July 22. As mentioned in the GDT tonight, August has been a cruel month for Kelly. Tonight, to be fair, wasn't so bad. He came within one out of a quality start, something we haven't seen from Merrill in eight attempts now, since before the All-Star break. While the Arizona bullpen certainly didn't help matters, this one was more on the offense. Here's some insightful baseball ******* ysis for you. You won't win many games when you fail to score any runs. You're welcome!
After a quick first inning on both sides, it look like Merrill Kelly's night was set up to be a short one. A one-out walk was followed by a two-out triple, as Corbin Carroll couldn't corral the ball in the right field corner. Kelly then lost control of his change-up entirely, walking the Cubs #8 and #9 hitters, to load the bases in front of presumptive 2026 NL MVP, Pete Crow-Armstrong. Cue thoughts of, "It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for 'em". Fortunately, it did, though only just, as PCA sent it 388 feet to die in the center field glove of Ryan Waldschmidt. An elevated pitch count for Merrill and a 1-0 deficit were by no means a disaster.
Indeed, Kelly settled down surprisingly well after that, rediscovering the feel for his off-speed pitches. He set down the Cubs in order in the third with a pair of strikeouts, then had another 1-2-3 frame in the 4th, including another K. He did allow another run in the 5th on a pair of doubles, as the Cubs took a 2-0 lead, but it was a solid enough outing. The most interesting thing though, was likely a spat between Kelly and the third-base coach for the Cubs, Quintin Berry. At one point, he stepped off the mound, stared pointedly at Berry, and then the occupants of the D-backs and Cubs dugouts started jawing at each other. The exact specifics of the discussion will have to await the Jomboy breakdown.
However, the broadcast team speculated that Berry's positioning might have allowed him to look into Merrill's glove and relay information to the batter, if there was a runner on second. It was notable that, after Kelly was lifted from the game, he remained in the dugout, unusual behavior for a starting pitcher. In particular, he remained right on the top step of the dugout, at the end nearest Berry, and Kelly appeared to be trying to trigger a Scanners-like explosion of Berry's head, through the sheer force of his stare. Kelly's final line? 5.2 innings, three runs allowed on five hits and three walks, with four strikeouts. It's his fifth consecutive outing with at least three walks. ******* ody has gone longer for Arizona since Robbie Ray went seven straight in 2018-19.
The Cubs did get the last laugh, however. After Merrill's exit with two outs in the sixth, Taylor Clarke came in and allowed back-to-back home-run
After a quick first inning on both sides, it look like Merrill Kelly's night was set up to be a short one. A one-out walk was followed by a two-out triple, as Corbin Carroll couldn't corral the ball in the right field corner. Kelly then lost control of his change-up entirely, walking the Cubs #8 and #9 hitters, to load the bases in front of presumptive 2026 NL MVP, Pete Crow-Armstrong. Cue thoughts of, "It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for 'em". Fortunately, it did, though only just, as PCA sent it 388 feet to die in the center field glove of Ryan Waldschmidt. An elevated pitch count for Merrill and a 1-0 deficit were by no means a disaster.
Indeed, Kelly settled down surprisingly well after that, rediscovering the feel for his off-speed pitches. He set down the Cubs in order in the third with a pair of strikeouts, then had another 1-2-3 frame in the 4th, including another K. He did allow another run in the 5th on a pair of doubles, as the Cubs took a 2-0 lead, but it was a solid enough outing. The most interesting thing though, was likely a spat between Kelly and the third-base coach for the Cubs, Quintin Berry. At one point, he stepped off the mound, stared pointedly at Berry, and then the occupants of the D-backs and Cubs dugouts started jawing at each other. The exact specifics of the discussion will have to await the Jomboy breakdown.
However, the broadcast team speculated that Berry's positioning might have allowed him to look into Merrill's glove and relay information to the batter, if there was a runner on second. It was notable that, after Kelly was lifted from the game, he remained in the dugout, unusual behavior for a starting pitcher. In particular, he remained right on the top step of the dugout, at the end nearest Berry, and Kelly appeared to be trying to trigger a Scanners-like explosion of Berry's head, through the sheer force of his stare. Kelly's final line? 5.2 innings, three runs allowed on five hits and three walks, with four strikeouts. It's his fifth consecutive outing with at least three walks. ******* ody has gone longer for Arizona since Robbie Ray went seven straight in 2018-19.
The Cubs did get the last laugh, however. After Merrill's exit with two outs in the sixth, Taylor Clarke came in and allowed back-to-back home-run
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