Pitching makes 1-run lead stick as Diamondbacks top Braves in series opener

Two of the top three teams in the National League faced off in the opener of a three-game series between the Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves Friday. The Diamondbacks took the first game 3-2 behind strong pitching from Merrill Kelly.

Nevertheless, "Today's story is the same as yesterday's," was Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo's refrain prior the series opener against the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves.

But maybe Lovullo was on to something. The Diamondbacks won again Friday, 3-2 over the Braves for their season high sixth straight victory. Arizona moved to 35-23 for a share of the best record in the National League with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, winning with quality pitching and stellar defense.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Christian Walker hit run-scoring doubles, Corbin Carroll took a hit away with sliding catch in center field and scored twice from first base, and starter Merrill Kelly (7-3) held the NL East-leading Braves to two runs on five hits over seven innings.

"That was some of the better energy I've felt in here in a while. Games like that are why we do this. Really good energy. It's a really good team," Kelly said. "It's good to see not only their fans into it, but it's good to see our fans into it.

"It's a good win for us against a good team," Kelly added.

"He's everything you want in a starter. Doesn't matter how he starts the game, he's gonna throw a good performance out there," Walker said of Kelly, who struck out eight.

The Diamondbacks defense shined. Catcher Gabriel Moreno threw out one of baseball's best base stealers and stars, Ronald Acuña Jr., trying to steal second base in the first inning, and the Diamondbacks worked together to hit the cutoff man and throw out Atlanta's Matt Olson at third base after he'd overrun the base for the final out of the top of the third.

Arizona won its sixth straight game, the first time they've had that long of a streak since Aug. 12-18, 2020.

"It was the Atlanta Braves and everybody knows it was gonna be a good game," Lovullo said afterward. "They wanted to see how we would go toe to toe with these guys. And I felt like Game 1, we answered the bell."

There was more defense at a crucial time. Gurriel caught Travis d'Arnaud's deep fly ball to left center field at the top of his glove, taking away extra bases in the top of the ninth. It prevented the tying run from scoring.

"I thought I made a good connection with the ball. Once I got there a little sooner, a little quicker I saw that I did have a play on it and I was able to track it," Gurriel said in Spanish.

Kelly shouted excitedly as he walked off the mound after striking out Atlanta's Michael Harris to end the top of the seventh. Then Austin Adams, appearing for just the fifth time this season, set the Braves down in order in the top of the eighth with two strikeouts. He, too, screamed amid the noise as he walked off the mound.

The Braves (33-24) didn't make it easy. Starter Charlie Morton struck out nine in seven innings despite taking the loss with three runs allowed on six hits. Atlanta held the Diamondbacks without a run on one hit for five innings.

Eddie Rosario homered twice, both off Kelly, but the Braves couldn't force extra innings. Late-inning reliever Miguel Castro worked out of a jam with runners at first and third with one out in the ninth, retiring Ozzie Albies on a shallow fly ball to Gurriel and getting Orlando Arcia to ground out to end the game.

Castro earned his sixth save.

"I think we knew what was going on today. And our guys stood tall in the middle of the ring and I'm proud of that," Lovullo said. "They don't back down from anybody. That's one of their great qualities every single game. So I said in pregame it's just the same story, though. You know, we come out and play hard because that's all we talk about doing."

—José M. Romero

Diamondbacks not viewing Braves series as 'measuring stick'

When the Diamondbacks take the field Friday night, the first base dugout at Chase Field will be filled by some of the best players in baseball. There’s Robert Acuña Jr., the National League MVP favorite, and Spencer Strider, the Cy Young favorite. Together, they help comprise a team widely viewed as the best in the National League.

Given where the Diamondbacks stand — fresh off a four-game sweep of the Rockies and tied for the best record in the NL — the Braves’ arrival could be construed as a sort of measuring stick. Win two of three here and the Diamondbacks reinforce their legitimacy.

Inside the Diamondbacks clubhouse, that’s not the mindset.

“I think we're a little bit further along than using different games and different outcomes as a measuring stick,” Manager Torey Lovullo said. “I know I talked about that early on and 100% would feel like, I was excited to play the Dodgers not knowing where we were and who we were. We were trying to create an identity. And then the Padres and then the Dodgers again. My entire family was saying their prayers every single night for me as the season started.”

That doesn’t mean the Diamondbacks aren’t aware of the talent on the other side. Lovullo spent a segment of Friday’s pregame press conference breaking down the threat opposed by Acuña. “We respect our opponent, we know what they're good at,” Lovullo said.

But Lovullo felt his mindset shifting last month, as the Diamondbacks kept winning, proving themselves in the process.

“I feel differently about the excitement of trying to play against the best and stack up against the best to see where we rank,” Lovullo said. “We're a good baseball team. We know that. That's the most important thing.”

Ahead of this weekend’s series, Lovullo’s outlook is shared by his players.

“To be honest, I think there's something refreshing about approaching every team exactly the same way,” first baseman Christian Walker said. “There's ways to be prepared and understand what teams' strengths are, but at the end of the day, the team across the field from us is just a team. We're gonna handle everybody the same way, we're gonna try to play to our same standard every day. So we'll be prepared, but also we're not putting anybody on a pedestal.”

Walker believes that mindset is enabled by the Diamondbacks’ confidence in themselves.

“We're not surprised,” Walker said. “It feels like a lot of people around us are surprised at this but this is what we expected. This is what we knew we were capable of.”

—Theo Mackie

Cardinals rookies gather for teammate's first pitch

Arizona Cardinals rookies attended Friday's game, with offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. throwing out a ceremonial first pitch.

Those players who witnessed the moment on the field included draft picks from April's NFL Draft and undrafted rookies, all who finished up the week's worth of offseason training activities in Tempe on Friday. Practices resume next week.

Here's how Johnson did with his pitch to Arizona catcher José Herrera.

—Jose M. Romero

Geraldo Perdomo to leadoff spot

A manager usually makes a lineup change when a team isn't doing well. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo chose to do so when the team is on a winning streak and tied for the best record in the National League.

He inserted second baseman Geraldo Perdomo into the lineup in the leadoff spot for Friday's series opener against the Atlanta Braves. The only other time Perdomo hit in that spot was an April 24 game against the Kansas City Royals.

Outfielder Pavin Smith and third baseman Josh Rojas were given the game off.

"Just kind of shuffled the deck a little bit today," Lovullo said. "I wanted to get a different look at different things. Their starting pitcher may have a little more success against right-handed batters. There were a lot of things I looked at. And then taking Pavin (Smith) and (Josh) Rojas off the field, give them a little bit of a blow, was just looking for someone to go up there and work through the entire at bat. Make sure he does the job, hands it off to the guy in back of him. At times he (Perdomo) has been a bit of that Swiss Army knife. Just want to see what it looks like. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here. Just getting a couple of guys off their feet and play little bit of a matchup game."

Perdomo went 2-for-4 with a run scored Friday.

—Michelle Gardner

Kelly, Mantiply, Lewis working their way back

Catcher Carson Kelly (forearm fracture) and relief specialist Joe Mantiply (trained let hamstring) are working their way back from injuries.

Kelly played a rehab game at Triple-A Reno Thursday. He was supposed to play five innings but rainy weather cut that intended outing short. Lovullo said he was scheduled to catch another game Saturday, but Kelly was in the Aces' lineup at catcher Friday night.

"He's taken his early lumps as you'd expect but he's in uniform playing against another team. I know that he didn't feel perfect and I wouldn't expect him to and Carson is so honest that it helps us push things forward with him so we'll see how he feels through the course of the day today."

Lovullo praised the play of Gabriel Moreno who has been filling in for Kelly and took a .289 batting average into Friday's game but said Kelly will get his share of starts behind the plate when healthy. Lovullo said he wasn't sure how the workload would be distributed once Kelly is back in the fold but acknowledged it's a good problem to have.

Mantiply threw in extended spring training on Friday but Lovullo did not have any further details.

"Where we go with him afterward, we're not sure," Lovullo said.

Kyle Lewis (illness) was scheduled to serve as designated hitter on Friday for Reno. He is in the starting lineup.

"He's progressing and he feels good but he still has more rehab, we'll continue to get him some at-bats and some time down in Triple-A over the next couple games."

—Michelle Gardner

Braves at Diamondbacks, Saturday, 7:10 p.m., Chase Field

Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (2-2, 5.37) vs. Braves RHP Spencer Strider (5-2, 2.97).

Nelson has found something of a groove of late, his ERA having dipped almost a full point since May 12. The Diamondbacks are 4-0 in his last four starts, and he is 1-0 with a 3.31 ERA in his last three outings. Nelson is making his first career start against the Braves and fourth against an NL East opponent. He doesn't have a record in his previous starts against NL East teams, but has a 2.12 ERA from those outings.

Strider, known for his frequent fastballs that top 100 mph, ranks eighth in the NL with a 2.97 ERA as of Friday. He has 106 strikeouts to 22 walks this season, and will be facing the Diamondbacks for the first time this season and second time in his career.

Coming up

Sunday: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (7-2, 2.72) vs. Braves RHP Michael Soroka (0-1, 6.00).

Monday: Off.

Tuesday: At Washington, 4:05 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Tommy Henry (3-1, 3.73) vs. Nationals RHP Jake Irvin (1-3, 5.67).

What to know about the Atlanta Braves

The Braves arrive at Chase Field as the first-place team in the National League East, though they are coming off a disappointing series in Oakland, where the hapless Athletics somehow managed to take two of three earlier in the week. The Braves are averaging 5.04 runs per game, tied with the Diamondbacks for the second-best, behind the Dodgers (5.60), mark in the NL. The Braves have a 3.67 ERA as a club, the best mark in the league. Their rotation has a league-best 3.41 ERA while the bullpen has been the closest thing to a weak spot, ranking fifth in the league with a 4.04 ERA. RF Ronald Acuna Jr. is hitting .324 with 11 homers and 23 steals. C Sean Murphy, whom the Braves acquired from the A’s in the offseason, has a .286/.398/.553 line with 11 homers. 1B Matt Olson has a team-leading 17 homers. With LHP Max Fried and RHP Kyle Wright out with injury, RHP Bryce Elder has helped save the rotation by posting a 1.92 ERA in 11 starts. RHP Spencer Strider has a 2.97 ERA and while averaging an astounding 15 strikeouts per nine innings.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Pitching makes 1-run lead stick as Diamondbacks top Braves in series opener