Diamondbacks 3, Athletics 3: Kelly’s zeroes

Record: 10-13-2. Change on 2023: -1.5. Five-inning record: 12-11-2.

Merrill Kelly had his penultimate outing before the regular season, and seems to be shaping into form nicely. He went 3.1 scoreless innings on 64 pitches, allowing four singles and a walk, while striking out seven batters. Jake Rice got the final two outs in the fourth, then Paul Sewald and Kyle Nelson also tossed scoreless frames, as the D-backs kept the A’s off the board through seven. Logan Allen was responsible for the seventh, but had a bit of a melt-down in the eighth, allowing four hits, a stolen-base and a balk, as Oakland scored three times to tie up the game. With neither side able to push across a run in the ninth, it became Arizona’s second tie of spring.

At the plate, Jake McCarthy, Christian Walker and Alberto Almora Jr. each had two of the Diamondbacks’ nine hits, with Kevin Newman getting a hit and a walk. McCarthy had the only extra-base hit for Arizona, a double, with he, Walker and Newman driving in the team’s three runs. Nice to see Gabriel Moreno back in the line-up after missing a few games: he went 1-for-3. I also note Jace Peterson starting the game at shortstop, perhaps a sign of how things might unfold in regard to the bench spots. Tomorrow, it’s a night game for the D-backs, as they face the Cubs in Mesa, with a 6:05 pm first pitch. Eduardo Rodriguez will be starting on the mound for Arizona.