Diamondbacks rout Phillies again, win eighth straight series

It’s not how you start a series, it’s how you finish them. The Diamondbacks dropped the series opener on Thursday but bounced back to take the final three games, including back-to-back blowouts, to win three of four against the Philadelphia Phillies. With a 12-5 win, Arizona has won eight consecutive series and boasts a major league-best 41-21 record since June 1.

Over the past week, the Diamondbacks have expertly handled the best the major leagues have had to offer. Against the Cleveland Guardians and the Phillies, they won six of seven games with strong offensive showings against two of the better pitching staffs in baseball. The Diamondbacks are the hottest team in baseball and quickly charging toward consecutive playoff berths for the first time in 22 seasons.

Even though the Diamondbacks have won their eighth straight series, it came at the cost of left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Gurriel was removed after the third inning with left hamstring tightness. Injuries have piled up in the last two weeks for Arizona, but the outfield is one position where they have capable replacements available should a stint on the injured list be necessary.

Merrill Kelly was victorious in his first start off the injured list after missing just shy of four months with a right shoulder strain. Kelly didn’t miss a beat in his return, shaking off a pair of first-inning runs to shut down the Phillies lineup the rest of the way. In five innings he allowed just two runs on three hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. There were signs of rust, but he got stronger as the team went on.

Before the game, manager Torey Lovullo was looking at 75-80 pitches as the target pitch count, but Kelly blew through it with 85 pitches on the day. The Diamondbacks starting rotation is finally healthy with him and left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez both coming back this week. They’ll have a tough decision to make for the Rockies series between Jordan Montgomery and Ryne Nelson.

Making just his third career MLB start, catcher Adrian Del Castillo continues to swing a hot bat. He picked up another three hits, becoming the first National League catcher since 1901 to have six hits in his first three career starts. He had a two-run single that gave the Diamondbacks a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning.

Jake McCarthy continued his domination of the Phillies, collecting three more hits. His three-run triple in the fifth blew the game open. He’s 23-for-68 (.338) with three doubles, four triples, and six home runs in 19 games against his hometown team. McCarthy, a self-proclaimed Yankees fan, grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, not too far from the Philadelphia area.

The Diamondbacks will host the Colorado Rockies for a three-game series at Chase Field. It will be a test to see how they handle playing a team well out of the playoff race, as they’ll need to keep the focus up and continue to bank series wins. Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (6-6, 3.92 ERA) will start for Arizona while right-hander Paul Quantrill (7-6, 4.56 ERA). First pitch on Monday will be at 6:40 P.M.