Diamondbacks drop series opener to Astros, 3-1
Merrill Kelly worked six strong innings and Gabriel Moreno hit a solo homer, but Arizona fell 3-1 to Houston as four rotation arms remain sidelined and the Diamondbacks trail San Diego by a half-game for the final wild-card spot.
Moreno's solo shot not enough in opener
The Astros beat the Diamondbacks 3-1 on Friday, September 4, to open the weekend series in Houston. Merrill Kelly turned in six innings of three-run ball, scattering 7 hits with no walks and 4 strikeouts — a line that wins on most nights. Gabriel Moreno's solo homer, part of a 1-for-2 night, produced Arizona's only run.
Astros1-3It was Arizona's fourth loss in its last five games. A 2-7 road loss to the Giants on August 29 was followed by consecutive losses to Philadelphia — 1-2 on August 31 and 1-7 on September 1 — before a 1-0 win over the Phillies on September 2 briefly broke the run. Thursday's loss picked the skid right back up.
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The rotation Arizona needs down the stretch keeps thinning. Corbin Burnes (elbow) could make his season debut Tuesday in Kansas City, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports. Michael Soroka (shoulder) and Zac Gallen (elbow) were both set to throw simulated games Friday, according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Ryne Nelson (elbow) begins a rehab assignment with Single-A Visalia on Saturday, per Alex D'Agostino of SI.com.
None of it has been fast enough to keep Merrill Kelly from carrying too much of the load — he was 1-4 with a 5.85 ERA over six starts in August, per Brian McTaggart. Thursday's line, 6 innings and 3 earned runs, is closer to what a taxed staff needs every fifth day, and the margin for error is thin: Arizona sits a half-game behind San Diego for the final NL wild-card spot, with an elimination number of 11.
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Arizona sends Brandon Pfaadt (7-2, 3.49 ERA) to the mound as the Diamondbacks are in Houston tonight, matched against Houston's Ethan Pecko (1-0, 6.23 ERA). Pfaadt is coming off a loss to Philadelphia on August 31, when he allowed 2 earned runs over 6 innings on 87 pitches. Pecko's only look at Arizona this year won't factor in — his last outing came August 30 at the Mets, a win in which he worked 5 innings, struck out 4 and allowed 2 earned runs on 83 pitches.
Houston is favored, and the total reads middling — not a night shaping up as a track meet or a pitchers' duel. That tracks with the two starters: Pfaadt has been effective most of the year but got beaten by Philadelphia's lineup his last time out, while Pecko is still building a big-league track record beyond that one win over New York. For Arizona to avoid dropping this series with a game still to play, the offense needs to find more than the one run it managed behind Kelly on Thursday.