Kelly's ownage continues as D-backs end Giants' streak

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The Giants will be glad to see the 2022 MLB season come to an end because it will mean they don't have to face Arizona Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly for six months.

Kelly continued his domination of the Giants on Saturday night at Chase Field, leading the Diamondbacks to a 5-2 win that snapped San Francisco's five-game winning streak.

The Giants (74-78) actually got on the board first against Kelly in the fourth inning when Jason Vosler drove in Brandon Crawford with a single. But the Diamondbacks (71-82) immediately responded with five runs in the bottom of the fourth, and that was all Kelly needed.

Kelly, who has become a nemesis for the Giants, allowed just two earned runs in seven innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out six. In 35 1/3 innings against San Francisco this season, the 33-year-old has a 1.53 ERA and 30 strikeouts.

Giants starter Alex Cobb matched zeroes with Kelly for the first three innings but he ran into trouble in the fourth, and an odd miscommunication between Wilmer Flores and Joey Bart allowed the inning to snowball.

Arizona already had pushed one run across and had the bases loaded with one out when Alek Thomas grounded a ball to Flores down the first base line. The veteran infielder could have stepped on first base to get the force but he elected not to touch the base. Instead, he went home but the throw was high and pulled Bart off the plate.

Bart tried to apply the tag on Daulton Varsho rather than simply step on home plate for the force out. So on a play when the Giants could have turned a double play, they were unable to record an out and the D-backs took a 2-1 lead.

The D-backs tacked on three more runs in the inning and the Giants never were able to respond.

In five innings of work, Cobb was charged with five earned runs. He allowed five hits, walked two and struck out three.

Mike Yastrzemski crushed his 15th homer of the season, a solo shot, to lead off the top of the sixth inning but the Giants were held hitless after that by Kelly, Joe Mantiply and former Giants reliever Reyes Moronta.

The bad news for the Giants is that they likely will have to take on Kelly one more time next weekend, unless the D-backs decide to shut him down for the season.

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The Giants will look to win the three-game series Sunday. Scott Alexander will get the start in what likely will be a bullpen game in the series finale. The D-backs will counter with rookie Drey Jameson, who will be making his third career MLB start. So far, he has allowed just two earned runs in 13 innings with Arizona.

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