The Arizona Diamondbacks clutched up while facing elimination and beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-1 on Monday night. With Zac Gallen struggling in the NLCS, Merrill Kelly had to take the load during Game 6. The offence was good enough with 5 runs to beat the Phillies and force a Game 7.
W: Merrill Kelly (2-1) L: Aaron Nola (3-1)
Merrill Kelly, Diamondbacks:
Merrill Kelly had a very nice day, going 5 innings and only yielding 1 earned run on 3 hits. Kelly had 8 strikeouts, but he also walked 3 batters, to which command issues have been present in the postseason thus far for the righty. A 4.2 BB/9 is a huge problem for Kelly, but he’s getting the results. Merrill Kelly has outplayed Zac Gallen in the playoffs and he will continue to be “Mr. Reliable” for Arizona’s rotation.
Kelly’s 8 strikeouts came on many different pitches that Kelly hurled on Monday night:
Curveball – 3 K’s
Four-Seam Fastball – 2 K’s
Cut Fastball (Cutter) – 1 K
Sinking Fastball (Sinker) – 1 K
Slider – 1 K
None of Kelly’s 6 pitches had a Run Value of less than -2 (0 average) during the 2023 regular season. The righty’s changeup had a Run Value of 16 (!!!) during the 2023 regular season. Kelly has plenty of weapons to get batters out, and while he may not light up the radar gun, he gets the job done with what he has.
Aaron Nola, Phillies:
Aaron Nola had many issues during Game 6. Nola was very inefficient, hurling 81 pitches over only 4.1 innings of work. In his 4.1 frames, he gave up 4 earned runs, which is the most he’s given up this October. Nola also yielded 6 hits and 2 walks, while also striking out 4 batters. Nola had been phenomenal in limiting the long ball for opposing hitters, but during Game 6, Arizona’s offence tagged the veteran right-hander with 2 taters. Prior to Monday night, Nola hadn’t given up a single home run all postseason.
Aaron Nola simply didn’t make quality pitches throughout the early stages of the game. He made plenty of uncompetitive pitches, and unfortunately for Nola, it was the reason why he left the game so early. The pitch to Tommy Pham that resulted in a home run was a knuckle-curve that caught too much of the plate. The sinker to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. also caught too much of the plate on the inner half. The pitch to Evan Longoria when he roped his RBI double a middle-middle 92.1 MPH fastball. These mistakes were happening way too often and they resulted in the poor overall outing the 30-year-old had.
Offensive Breakdown, Diamondbacks:
Arizona’s offensive attack was very efficient and looked solid. The Diamondbacks scored 5 runs on 10 hits. Arizona had more hits (10) than strikeouts (9). Their patience forced Aaron Nola to make crucial mistakes that the Diamondbacks capitalized on. Nola’s pitch count rose rather quickly due to the Diamondbacks’ plate discipline.
The top of the second inning is where the Diamondbacks really capitalized on these mistakes from Nola. Tommy Pham crushed a knuckle-curve from Nola 406 feet to left field for a home run that gave Arizona the early 1-0 lead. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., the next batter, wanted to get in on the action too. Gurriel Jr. received a sinker on the inner half and he crushed it. This dinger went 403 feet and extended the DBacks’ lead to 2-0.
Alek Thomas got on base through a 4-pitch walk, bringing up veteran Evan Longoria. Longoria pounced on a first-pitch fastball and lined it to left field. Thomas, with his elite speed, scored without a throw to make the score 3-0 in favour of Arizona.
Ketel Marte added onto the lead through an RBI triple in the top of the 5th inning. Marte’s triple had an exit velocity of 113 MPH and continued the Diamondbacks’ success, making the score 4-1 for Arizona. The Diamondbacks’ second baseman continued his postseason show in the top of the 7th inning. Marte ripped an RBI single off of Orion Kerkering to cap off the impressive offensive showing from Arizona.
The Diamondbacks will have to build upon this success as they look to earn a victory in Game 7 and head to their first World Series since 2001.
Offensive Breakdown, Phillies:
Unlike Arizona, the Phillies had more strikeouts (10) than hits (6). The Phillies left 16 men on base, which is odd to say due to the fact that Philadelphia had been extremely successful in that category prior to Game 6. Philadelphia had plenty of opportunities to score runs, but their lack of clutch hitting resulted in the Phillies only being able to muster up one run.
The Phillies had an opportunity to put pressure on Merrill Kelly immediately, but they couldn’t capitalize. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper both walked with one away, but Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott were both easily retired by Kelly. Brandon Marsh was able to drive in a run through an RBI single that scored J.T. Realmuto. In the mid-late innings, the problem wasn’t even getting hits with runners in scoring position. The main issue was getting runners on base. Arizona’s bullpen went 4.0 innings, yielding only 3 hits and no walks.
Philadelphia just lacked patience during this game. They struck out 10 times, with the “Big 4” of Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and Nicholas Castellanos combining to go 0-13 with 6 strikeouts. For Philadelphia’s offence to be successful, the main guys have to be on their A-games. If they aren’t, Philadelphia’s offence will find it really difficult to not only score runs, but get runners on base.
Top Performers, Diamondbacks:
Corbin Carroll (RF) – 1-4, Run
Ketel Marte (2B) – 2-5, 2 RBI, SB
Tommy Pham (DH) – 1-4, Run, HR, RBI
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (LF) – 1-4, Run, HR, RBI
Geraldo Perdomo (SS) – 2-4, Run, SB
Merrill Kelly (SP) – 5.0 IP, 3 Hits, 1 ER, 8 K’s, 3 BB
Top Performers, Phillies:
Alec Bohm (3B) – 2-4
J.T. Realmuto – 1-4, Run
Brandon Marsh (LF) – 2-4, RBI
Michael Lorenzen (RP) – 1.2 IP, 1 Hit, K, BB
Craig Kimbrel (RP) – 1.0 IP, 2 K’s, BB
Game 7 of the NLCS begins on Tuesday, October 24 and starts at 8:07 PM EST. Rookie Brandon Pfaadt (2.13 ERA this Postseason) will take the ball for the biggest game of his young career. Southpaw Ranger Suarez (0.64 ERA this Postseason) will take the mound for Philadelphia. Philadelphia looks to head to their 2nd straight World Series, while Arizona intends to take another step towards their 2nd world championship.
(A/P Photo/Matt Slocum)