{"id":48480,"date":"2021-07-02T01:46:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T05:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=48480"},"modified":"2021-07-02T01:46:00","modified_gmt":"2021-07-02T05:46:00","slug":"diamondbacks-giants-20210701","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2021\/07\/02\/diamondbacks-giants-20210701\/","title":{"rendered":"Josh Reddick, Merrill Kelly Lead Diamondbacks to Victory over Giants"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Diamondbacks 5, Giants 3<\/h2>\n<p>PHOENIX, July 1 \u2014 Josh Reddick went 3-for-4 with a double, home run, two runs scored, and two RBI to lead the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2021\/03\/31\/2021-arizona-diamondbacks-preview\/\" target=\"_self\">Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> to a 5\u20133 victory over the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2021\/03\/31\/2021-san-francisco-giants-preview\/\" target=\"_self\">San Francisco Giants<\/a> Thursday night. \u201cWhen Redd gets hot,\u201d manager Torey Lovullo said, \u201cget out of his way and enjoy the ride.\u201d Enjoy the ride is exactly what his team did. The right fielder\u2019s big night at the plate supported starting pitcher Merrill Kelly, whose seven innings of three-run ball put the Diamondbacks in a strong position to hang on for the win.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"H7LF0jQnRjd1VN8_mit4ug\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1326540863\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'H7LF0jQnRjd1VN8_mit4ug',sig:'FrM7w8dU30ZtJOV4y8iJelnavUja92WfSTWaAzcxKWg=',w:'594px',h:'367px',items:'1326540863',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Giants scored first, doing so on a monumental solo home run by right fielder Mike Yastrzemski, the second batter of the game. In the bottom of the second, the Diamondbacks responded off Giants starter Johnny Cueto. Consecutive two-out doubles by Reddick and second baseman Josh VanMeter tied the game. Following an intentional walk of Stephen Vogt, Kelly helped his own cause with a broken-bat chip shot over the third baseman\u2019s head to bring VanMeter across with the go-ahead run.<\/p>\n<p>The Giants regained the lead in the top of the fourth on a one-out single by shortstop Brandon Crawford and a tape-measure home run by former Met and Diamondback Wilmer Flores. David Peralta responded in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff triple, and he scored when Reddick followed with a home run to right. The blast \u2014 his first with the Diamondbacks \u2014 gave his team a 4\u20133 lead. That lead swelled to 5\u20133 when center fielder Pavin Smith led off the bottom of the fifth with a no-doubt home run.<\/p>\n<h3>Diamondbacks Relievers Shut Down Giants<\/h3>\n<p>Kelly pitched seven strong innings before giving way to Noe Ramirez in the eighth. Given the Diamondbacks relievers\u2019 abysmal track record with a lead in 2021, tension levels in the entire ballpark rose sharply when he walked the leadoff man, Yastrzemski. Nerves settled when he followed with two strikeouts \u2014 catcher Buster Posey and left fielder Alex Dickerson \u2014 and received a gift pop-up on 3\u20130 from Crawford.<\/p>\n<p>After a 1-2-3 top of the ninth, Joakim Soria took the hill to close it out. He immediately got himself into trouble with a walk to Flores and single by center fielder Steven Duggar. A 5-4-3 double-play grounder off the bat of second baseman Donovan Solano gave Soria a chance to exhale, however. It seemed to calm his nerves. Up next came pinch-hitter Darin Ruf, whose swinging strikeout ended the game and gave Soria his first save of 2021.<\/p>\n<h3>Postgame Reflections<\/h3>\n<p>Kelly won his third straight start, with his previous two wins snapping their 17-game losing streak and 23-game road losing streak, chronologically. To go one step further, these three wins have been the team\u2019s only three wins in their last 27 games. Stopping the losing streaks is something Kelly takes \u201ca lot\u201d of pride in. \u201cOur job, at the end of the day, is to win. That\u2019s my goal going into every game, regardless of us being on a losing streak or a winning streak. My job every day is to go as deep as I can in the game and get us a win\u2026. I definitely take pride in it, because that\u2019s what we get paid to do, and that\u2019s what I try to do every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kelly credited his teammates, saying, \u201cThe guys did a really good job picking me up today after I gave up those runs \u2014 the Reddick home run and the Pavin (Smith) home run as well.\u201d About his own RBI single, he chuckled as he recounted what happened. \u201cI feel like I probably hit that ball twice, like I used my bat as a lacrosse stick and just threw the ball in the outfield,\u201d he said. \u201cBut off the bat, when it broke, I was kind of (ticked), because I thought I was going to be out. Then when I looked up and saw that Flores was a little in on the infield and I knew it was going to drop (chuckle), it felt good. I got the monkey off the back this year. It\u2019s been a while since I got a hit.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Stats and Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cA while\u201d is correct \u2014 Kelly\u2019s last major league hit was a two-run, bases-loaded single off Dylan Bundy in a 7\u20132 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on July 23, 2019. His hit Thursday night snapped a 45-at-bat hitless streak, raising his career batting average to .025 (2-for-79).<\/p>\n<p>Kelly earned the win, while Cueto (6\u20134) took the loss. The win brought Kelly\u2019s record for the season to 5\u20137. Over the last three starts, he is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA over 20 innings pitched. In those games, he has struck out 17 while walking one.<\/p>\n<p>The Diamondbacks and Giants meet again Friday evening in the second game of their four-game series. Alex Wood (6\u20133, 3.91 ERA) will take the mound for the Giants against Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen (1\u20133, 3.69 ERA). First pitch will be at 6:40 pm Arizona Time.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo:<br \/>\n<a id=\"fWl_n3dnSyFKN4XPBRTfcQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1326542628\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'fWl_n3dnSyFKN4XPBRTfcQ',sig:'Tt1D8I7h5UwvboR-oMoB-OMjRPEMZLR1LnNXb04ukO4=',w:'594px',h:'385px',items:'1326542628',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Players mentioned:<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/reddijo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh Reddick<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/managers\/lovulto01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Torey Lovullo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kellyme01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Merrill Kelly<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/y\/yastrmi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mike Yastrzemski<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/cuetojo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Johnny Cueto<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vanmejo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh VanMeter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vogtst01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Vogt<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/peralda01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">David Peralta<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/crawfbr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandon Crawford<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=florewi01,flores005wil&amp;search=Wilmer+Flores&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wilmer Flores<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/smithpa04.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pavin Smith<\/a>, <\/strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/ramirno01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Noe Ramirez<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/poseybu01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Buster Posey<\/a>,<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/dickeal01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Dickerson<\/a>,<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/soriajo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joakim Soria<\/a>,<\/strong> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duggast01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Steven Duggar<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/solando01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Donovan Solano<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rufda01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Darin Ruf<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bundydy01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dylan Bundy<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/woodal02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Wood<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/galleza01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zac Gallen<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Diamondbacks 5, Giants 3 PHOENIX, July 1 \u2014 Josh Reddick went 3-for-4 with a double, home run, two runs scored, and two RBI to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5\u20133 victory over the San Francisco Giants Thursday night. \u201cWhen Redd gets hot,\u201d manager Torey Lovullo said, \u201cget out of his way and enjoy the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2901,"featured_media":48481,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29,1071,31],"tags":[4645,109,502,2522,3042,685],"class_list":["post-48480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diamondbacks","category-mlb","category-giants","tag-diamondbacks-featured","tag-johnny-cueto","tag-josh-reddick","tag-merrill-kelly","tag-mike-yastrzemski","tag-wilmer-flores"],"modified_by":"Evan Thompson","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2901"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}