Carroll's Homers and Gurriel's Catch Make Merrill Kelly's Gem Stand Up

Fellow outfielder Corbin Carroll spoke to Todd Walsh of Dbacks.TV after the came about the catch. "It was an incredible play, we really needed that one. For him to come down with it was very impressive" Carroll said.

Merrill Kelly pitched seven outstanding innings, allowing just one run before turning it over to the bullpen. Beeks managed a scoreless frame and Shelby Miller retired the side in order in a drama-less ninth to record the save, his second of the year.

Corbin Carroll provided both Diamondbacks runs with two solo homers. His second homer went over the wall in deep centerfield, 419 feet away. It was his twelth of the year. He now trails just Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber, who each have 14.

But it was Kelly who put the team on his back and carried them through the first seven innings. He attacked the Giants hitters, firing strikes and getting three strikeouts looking in his first six batters. The Giants started to chip away with base hits, including two in the fourth, but he got out of it with a 4-6-3 double play.

The lone run Kelly allowed came in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Christian Koss. Kelly worked out of a first and second, one-out jam in the seventh by getting his eighth and final strikeout and a popout on his 103rd pitch of the game.

"He earned that right," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told Walsh. "He was still within a certain pitch count that we were comfortable with and he was flashing those 91 MPH cutters the same way he was in the first inning. He stood on a couple fastballs with a little more gas than that. I thought this was his game, this is his outing, and he's going to get the final out of this inning."

Kelly mixed six different pitches, none of them for more than 28% of his total, keeping Giants hitters guessing. His final line was 7 IP, 8 hits, 1 ER, 0 Walks, 8 strikeouts. He lowered his season ERA to 3.71 and FIP to 3.80 while recording his fifth quality start of the year. Kelly's record is now 4-2.

It didn't always feel like Kelly's effort was going to stand up. The offense put up nine hits, including Carroll's two homers, but went 0-4 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. A run was taken off the board in the first inning on a questionable ground rule double call on a smash to Triples Alley by Josh Naylor.

The ball appeared to get stuck under the padding, but then was removed with almost no effort by the outfielder. Carroll had already raced home from first base, but was sent back to third base. Eugenio Suarez grounded out to end the inning without a run coming across.

But the outstanding pitching, along with Carroll's two home runs, won the day in the end, a result the team truly needed. Both home runs came off Giants starter Justin Verlander, marking the second straight start against Arizona that he's allowed a multi-homer game. Pavin Smith got him last September, when Verlander was a member of the Houston Astros.

The Diamondbacks record improves to 22-20 and the Giants drop to 24-18. The D-backs thus close to within two games of the Giants, who hold the third NL Wild Card position. The St. Louis Cardinals are one game ahead of Arizona in front of the D-backs as well.

There was a concerning but undefined health issue that arose for bench coach Jeff Banister that required him to be taken to the hospital pre game. Manager Torey Lovullo said that he would give an update on Tuesday. All here are Arizona Diamondbacks On SI wish Banister a speedy recovery.

Game 2 of the series is Tuesday night at 6:45 p.m. Brandon Pfaadt pitches for the D-backs and former Diamondback Robbie Ray will be on the mound for the Giants.