Phoenix, AZ — Merrill Kelly bounced back from a rough start to pitch into the seventh inning, and Corbin Carroll homered as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 on Tuesday night, ending their three-game losing streak.
Carroll’s solo shot off Charlie Morton (0-3) put Arizona on the board, and Josh Naylor’s two-run double in the fifth helped seal the victory for the Diamondbacks. Kelly (2-1) allowed three runs and four hits over 6 2/3 innings, while Justin Martinez closed out the game with a hit batter in the ninth to earn his second save.
After struggling in his previous outing against the Yankees, Kelly faced an early challenge, giving up a two-run single to Cedric Mullins in the first inning. However, the right-hander quickly found his rhythm, retiring 12 consecutive batters before a two-out error by third baseman Eugenio Suárez in the fifth inning. Kelly was ejected after being pulled in the seventh for arguing a check-swing call, and Arizona manager Torey Lovullo was also tossed in the aftermath.
Morton, who struggled with control, gave up a run in the first inning after walking two batters and hitting another. Carroll’s fourth homer of the season in the third inning gave Arizona a 2-1 lead, and Naylor’s two-run double in the fifth extended the Diamondbacks’ advantage to 4-2. Morton has now allowed at least four runs in each of his first three starts, finishing with four runs allowed on four hits in five innings. He walked five and struck out four.
Key Moment:
Baltimore pinch-runner Jorge Mateo stole two bases in the eighth inning, but his aggressive baserunning came to an end when he was tagged out in a rundown after A.J. Puk fielded a comebacker from Ryan Mountcastle.
Key Stat:
Carroll has reached base in each of his first 12 games this season, marking the longest such streak by a Diamondbacks player since Josh Rojas reached base in 14 straight games to start the 2022 season.
Up Next:
The series wraps up Wednesday with Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer (1-1, 6.52 ERA) facing Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (1-1, 5.25).
