PHILADELPHIA — Right-hander Merrill Kelly walked off the field with his glove in his hand and a trainer by his side, his face a mixture of frustration and rage. It had happened again, cramping in his right hamstring that once more forced him from a game.
This time it would cost the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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Kelly exited the game after just five innings on Friday night (May 2), forcing the Diamondbacks to deploy the less-proven relief options from their worn-down bullpen. They did not deliver, coughing up a lead and the game to the Philadelphia Phillies, who escaped Citizens Bank Park with a 3-2 win.
Kelly had thrown just 60 pitches. He was thinking not just about getting through the sixth – he wanted the seventh and the eighth, as well. Instead, he had to watch a 2-1 lead vanish as left-hander Jose Castillo served up a pair of homers to Kyle Schwarber and Max Kepler in the seventh inning.
“It’s my day,” Kelly said. “It’s my job to do that and go as deep as I can. I think that’s the most frustrating part is to see us lose a game like that when it still should be in my control and it’s not. That’s the most frustrating part. You start feeling like a liability, and it’s never a good feeling.”
This is believed to be the seventh time since August 2023 that Kelly has left a start due to cramping in his legs. The first four times, it happened at Chase Field, where the sweltering heat of late summer can overwhelm the ballpark’s cooling system.
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Last September, it happened away from home for the first time, in Milwaukee, and it has now happened twice more on the road this year, the first time coming in April in Chicago. In neither instance was the heat overwhelming; the temperature was in the 70s for this series opener.
Just as alarming is when it is occurring — earlier and earlier in games. When it began happening, it was often in the late innings with the Diamondbacks in the lead. Lately, Kelly hasn’t been able to get through the sixth.
“We’ve tried all kinds of things,” he said. “We’ve done all kinds of labs, all kinds of hydration stuff. I wish I had a good answer for you guys. If I had a good answer, I’d stop cramping.”
Kelly, who has had issues with blood clots in the past, said he has had bloodwork done to see if anything is noticeable that might explain the cramping. More recently, he said he had his blood flow checked. The tests have not led to answers.
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“I don’t know what’s next, but we’ve got to figure out something,” he said. “It’s not good for me and it’s definitely not good for the team.”
This was the first time an early exit of his could be traced directly to a Diamondbacks’ loss.
Manager Torey Lovullo said right-handers Ryan Thompson and Kevin Ginkel were unavailable. Both had pitched on consecutive days. He said right-hander Shelby Miller, who also had pitched on back-to-back days, would have pitched only in the ninth in a save situation.
And though he used right-hander Juan Morillo for the sixth, Lovullo said he was not comfortable sending him out for another inning since Morillo had not been asked to do so in a while – and because he had been up and warming each of the previous two days.
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“In light of what’s been happening with the injuries to our ballclub, I don’t want to put anybody in that situation,” Lovullo said. “I’m tired of watching a guy go the IL, and I was just not going to put him out there for a second inning if I didn’t — nor did the rest of the group — feel like it was time.”
And so the seventh fell to Castillo. Brought up from the minors a day earlier, the journeyman lefty threw a first-pitch, 94-mph fastball to Schwarber, who unloaded on it, sending it out to right field. Two batters later, Kepler did the same to a 1-1 slider. Two left-handed hitters, two homers.
“We talk about certain spots for certain guys,” Lovullo said of Castillo. “It looked like it was a really nice little pocket for him.”
The outcome left Lovullo lamenting a decision by Geraldo Perdomo in the sixth inning. With runners on first and second and one out, Perdomo popped up a bunt attempt, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. ended up getting doubled off second by catcher J.T. Realmuto.
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Lovullo called the bunt “a little bit confusing” and said he did not approach Perdomo for an explanation because “I probably would have lost my mind if I had a conversation at that point.”
“When we’re doing things like that, it leads me to think we’re losing a little bit of focus,” Lovullo said. “It’s tremendously frustrating for me.”
Speaking with reporters, Perdomo had no regrets, calling it a “great idea” particularly since it could have led to Ketel Marte, who was on deck, hitting with the bases loaded.
“First and second, one out, third baseman back — why not?” he said. “Why not try it right there?”
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It turned out to be the Diamondbacks’ final scoring opportunity. They went down in order in each of the final three innings, though they did hit several balls hard, including three fly balls to the warning track.
One of those fly balls was tracked down thanks only to an incredible catch. Brought into the game an inning earlier as a defensive replacement, center fielder Johan Rojas made a tremendous running catch at the wall in left-center to take extra bases away from Gurriel.
“That was incredible,” Kepler said. “I was about to yell, ‘Wall!’ And then he leaped and made the catch. He made an incredible play right when we needed it.”
DBacks reinstate Ketel Marte from injured list
PHILADELPHIA — Second baseman Ketel Marte was reinstated from the injured list and was back in the Diamondbacks’ starting lineup for the May 2 series opener.
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Based on how his at-bats went at extended spring training, Marte figures he is probably ready.
“I think so,” he said. “I got, like, seven homers (in 25 at-bats), so maybe.”
Marte, who finished third in the National League MVP race last year, has been on the injured list since straining his left hamstring on April 4 in Washington. He said his leg has felt good since perhaps 10 days after the injury happened and that he has gradually increased his workload in the time since.
“It’s feeling great,” Marte said. “I’m happy. I’ve been working hard over there at spring training. I’m happy to be here again with the team.”
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Manager Torey Lovullo said Marte has been pushing to be activated for about a week, but the club wanted to make sure the hamstring was stable. To that point, Lovullo said Marte has been cleared to not run hard every single time.
“It’s going to be situational,” Lovullo said. “We’re going to give him the OK to ease into it. … We said, ‘Do it conditionally. If you feel like you’re sniffing a base hit, you want to go, you can. If it’s home to second, give it all you can, but let’s be safe.’”
The offense has averaged a solid 4.8 runs per game and went 12-11 in Marte’s absence.
“Getting back a great player is really exciting for me,” Lovullo said, “but I was really proud of the way the team held down the fort until he got back.”
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Marte, who was blasting balls into the second deck of Citizens Bank Park during batting practice, returns to a venue in which he has had success. Entering the series opener, Marte was a career .318 hitter with three homers in 17 regular-season games here.
He also stood on a stage at this ballpark to be presented with the NL Championship Series MVP award in 2023; he hit .387 with a .987 OPS in that series.
Tim Tawa to get reps in center field
To make room on the roster for Marte’s return, the club optioned outfielder Jorge Barrosa to Triple-A Reno.
That means infielder Tim Tawa, who was brought up when Marte went down, has maintained his roster spot. Tawa had gone just 1 for 19 over his past five games entering May 2, but he has impressed the organization nonetheless. In 19 games, he owns a .190/.304/.483 line with five homers, 10 RBIs and two stolen bases.
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“It’s just controlling the zone, being able to take quality at-bats, drive pitches he’s supposed to,” Lovullo said. “Early on, the defense was probably something we were zoned in on but at the end of it he started playing fast and doing the things we needed him to do.
“I think there’s a consistency with his overall game that told me he was ready for more opportunities.”
To that end, Tawa is expected to get reps in center field in the near future. He has been shagging fly balls in the outfield during batting practice, but the club wants to give him a chance to work more exclusively there pregame before giving him a start in center.
Tawa has played extensively in the outfield at least since his college days. He started 26 games in the outfield between Double-A and Triple-A last season.
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“I think we’re going to explore him in center field and I think that’s going to open up a whole new level of at-bat to him,” Lovullo said. “We’ve got to make sure he gets up to speed first.”
Short hops
*Right-hander Justin Martinez underwent an MRI May 2, Lovullo said, but he added that the team was still awaiting a “complete review” of the images. “We’re hoping for good news,” Lovullo said. “As of right now he’s there getting evaluated.” Martinez, whose velocity was down 5 mph in recent outings, landed on the injured list May 1 with right shoulder inflammation.
*Catcher Adrian Del Castillo, who has yet to play this season in Triple-A Reno due to a right shoulder strain, is expected to return from the injured list as a designated hitter sometime in the middle of the month, farm director Chris Slivka said. He likely will serve as a DH only for at least a couple of weeks as he going through a throwing progression to build arm strength.
Coming up
Saturday, May 3: At Philadelphia, 3:05 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (5-1, 2.78) vs. Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (0-5, 5.40).
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Sunday, May 4: At Philadelphia,11:05 a.m., Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (1-3, 6.06) vs. Phillies LHP Ranger Suarez (1-0, 1.08)*.
Monday, May 5: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Corbin Burnes (1-1, 3.58) vs. Mets LHP David Peterson (2-1, 3.06).
* — Stats from minor leagues.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks can’t hold late lead as Phillies blast 2 HRs, take opener
