The Arizona Diamondbacks swept their two-game series with the Texas Rangers, winning Wednesday by a score of 14-4. They are now 82-64, and move back into a tie with the Padres for the first Wild Card spot.
They have clinched an above .500 season for the second straight year, and the second time since 2019.
Right-handed starter Merrill Kelly looked to be in command of the game early, as a clean seven-pitch first inning was an auspicious start for the veteran's attempt to continue his upward trajectory since returning from injury.
He was gifted an early lead, as the D-backs' offense does so often. Against young left-hander Cody Bradford, All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte ripped a double on the first pitch he saw, the first base hit he's recorded since returning from injury.
Corbin Carroll followed with a triple - his 13th of the season. That moves him into second place all-time for most triples in a season by a Diamondback, and he now only trails Tony Womack in 1999 (14) for first place by just one.
Randal Grichuk then crushed a ball to left field for a two-run homer, spotting Kelly a 3-0 lead in the first. It was Grichuk's 200th homer of his career.
— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) September 11, 2024Career homer number 200 for Randal Grichuk. Torey Lovullo just spoke before the game about his consistency
The second inning saw more offense, with Eugenio Suárez smacking a solo home run, and Ketel Marte singling in Adrian Del Castillo to make it 5-0.
Kelly allowed a solo home run to Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien, then opened the fourth inning by allowing three straight singles to make it 5-2.
But the D-backs' offense wasn't done. In the fourth, Suárez and Geraldo Perdomo singled, and Marte destroyed his 31st home run of the season, blowing the game open at 8-2.
But, after issuing a leadoff walk in the fifth inning, Kelly appeared to be in some discomfort, appearing to limp back and forth between the mound and second base, accompanied by trainer Max Esposito. He exited a few moments later without throwing another pitch.
Manager Torey Lovullo said postgame that Kelly exited with left hamstring cramping. The veteran has dealt with cramping issues in the past, so he'll likely avoid much downtime unless another issue arises.
Right-hander Slade Cecconi entered in relief of Kelly, but it certainly wasn't his day. Since Kelly had utilized two disengagements prior to his exit, Cecconi was only allowed one more - and was required to pick off a runner while doing so.
Cecconi stepped off, seemingly unaware of the situation, and a balk advanced Leody Taveras to second base. Cecconi then allowed two singles, a double and a walk, and right-hander Kevin Ginkel was forced to enter with two outs to finish the inning with bases loaded to shut down the inning.
The Rangers managed to pull the game to 8-4 off Cecconi, but that was the closest it would be for the remainder, as Arizona's offense continued its onslaught. Bradford's day ended in the fourth, allowing nine hits and three homers for eight earned runs, only pitching 3 2/3 innings. The blowup raised his ERA nearly a full run, to 3.98.
After Bradford's exit, Suárez doubled in a Josh Bell walk, then Adrian Del Castillo turned on a pitch up and in, sending it over the right field fence and making it 11-4 in the fifth.
It was a mammoth day for both Suárez and Marte, as both hitters finished a triple shy of the cycle. Suárez finished 4-for-4, and with a chance to complete the cycle in the seventh, instead launched a second solo home run to left field.
Marte finished 3-for-4, with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored. He was one of five total D-backs hitters with multiple hits, as the club banged out 16 on the day - 13 for extra bases.
Christian Walker doubled in Carroll in the sixth, and Luis Guillorme doubled and scored on another double from Grichuk in the eighth.
The 13 extra-base hits are the most by any team this season, and tied a D-backs record - the last time being an 18-7 win over the Dodgers in 2014.
The game marked the 19th time Arizona has scored 10 or more runs this season, the most in MLB. They now also lead baseball with six games scoring 14 or more. They're tied for first in most games with 16 or more hits (8).
Outside of Cecconi's rough fifth inning, Arizona's bullpen held the Rangers to just two hits and two walks, as Kevin Ginkel, Dylan Floro and Jordan Montgomery combined to throw 4 1/3 scoreless innings.
Montgomery pitched the final three frames without a great deal of trouble, earning his first save of the year.
The D-backs have another off day Thursday, then will welcome the Milwaukee Brewers to town for a three-game set beginning on Friday.
