Merrill and Co blanked the Rockies again.
Recaps
[AZ Central] Diamondbacks take series from Rockies on Kelly’s strong outing, Marte homer – It was, to be sure, a nice bounceback effort following the Diamondbacks’ atrocious 14-12 loss to the Rockies the night before. But they came closer to the brink than anyone would have wanted — and it felt like another weekend in which the Diamondbacks were able to bide time as they wait for everything to click with their team… As they departed for Los Angeles, where they open a three-game series at Dodger Stadium on Monday night, May 19, their record stood at a fairly respectable 25-22. It is not the start the organization envisioned after shelling out roughly $200 million on payroll. But it’s not a mess, either, and more than 100 games remain on the schedule.
[Dbacks.com] ‘Merrill the Mainstay’ has his day: 7 scoreless, 11 K’s – Kelly’s 11 strikeouts were a season high and one shy of his career mark, but he was not pleased with the fact he walked three batters. “If I’m being completely honest with myself, not getting ahead of people, the walks, obviously, I’m not happy about,” Kelly said. “But at the end of the day, if I can not feel my best and walk away with what I did today, then I can’t beat myself up about it. And the fact that we were able to fight ’til the end and keep it the way it was, and scratch across a win after yesterday overall, a really good day.” Kelly was never really in a jam, as the Rockies were able to get only one runner as far as second base against him, but whenever he did need to put away a hitter, he went to his best pitch — the changeup…
[Purple Row] Diamondbacks 1, Rockies 0: Last night’s offense was a mirage in the desert – The Colorado Rockies had the chance to perk up Colorado sports fans after a brutal, season-ending loss by the Denver Nuggets in game seven against the Oklahoma City Thunder by over 30 points. Unfortunately, the Rockies offense was largely absent until the ninth inning, and even then they were unable to capitalize despite the Diamondbacks scoring only one run. The Rockies were hitless through five innings until Jordan Beck opened up the sixth inning with a double. He would remain the Rockies’ only hit until the top of the ninth inning. In the ninth the Rockies managed to hit two singles (Farmer, Goodman) to have a runner on second base for second time during the ballgame. An intentional walk to Ryan McMahon juiced the bases with just one out, but the Rockies were unable to plate a single run and were shutout yet again.
Team news
[SI] Diamondbacks Missed Golden Opportunity to Sweep the Rockies – The team has had to go to Plan B with the bullpen, to mixed results. Shelby Miller and Jalen Beeks have stepped up to provide quality innings for the bullpen out of nowhere, softening the blow somewhat. Over the last couple of weeks, Miller has become the de facto closer for the team, as he’s converted 4-of-6 save opportunities. Ginkel worked in all three games of the series and is starting to round into form. He faced eight hitters and got seven outs, with four via strikeout. When he was first activated, there were more 93-94 MPH readings on his fastball. In his last three outings, he’s been more 95-96, a good sign that his shoulder is healthy. As Hazen and Lovullo look for more solutions with their bullpen, Ginkel seems like a safe bet to resume his high-leverage role.
[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks RHP Justin Martinez to pitch in Reno on Tuesday – “He’s in a good spot, he feels like he’s getting very, very close,” Lovullo said. “The velo is ticking up. He touched 99 (mph) in the ACL game. I think everybody wants to know why he’s not throwing 100 miles an hour, but he’s gonna get there. Everything’s trending in a very positive direction, I feel like, with the extra couple days worth of rest, getting up to Reno, getting to a hot, live situation … I think things might spike up a little bit.” Lovullo emphasized patience with how Martinez returns to play. “He’s gonna find himself on the back end,” the manager said. “I want to maybe get him a real smooth, early landing spot — but that doesn’t always happen — and let him just migrate and take it from there.”
[Venom Strikes] The D-backs have an early-season MVP candidate who’s being overlooked – Corbin Carroll heard all the noise last year. Every whisper that his rookie breakout might have been nothing more than a flash in the pan. But if you’ve been paying attention in 2025, you know he’s silencing every critic — and doing it in style. The Arizona Diamondbacks star is back to playing like one of the most dynamic players in baseball, and it’s time the national conversation starts to treat him that way. Not just as a bounce-back candidate, not a feel-good story — but as a legitimate contender for the National League Most Valuable Player Award.
[KTAR] Diamondbacks’ Chase Field to host 1st Mac & Cheese Festival – On Saturday, the Mac & Cheese Festival is making its debut at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The event will last from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on a day that the Diamondbacks are playing their second of three games on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals. For $7 a pop, guests can try a variety of macaroni and cheese creations. These include Nashville Hot Chicken Mac, Mediterranean Mac and Walking Taco Mac, according to a press release.
And, elsewhere…
[ESPN] Twins’ streaks end at 13 wins, team-record 34 scoreless innings – Jackson Chourio robbed Royce Lewis of a potential tying homer in the eighth inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers ended the Minnesota Twins’ 13-game winning streak with a 5-2 victory on Sunday. Isaac Collins and Sal Frelick each drove in two runs to help the Brewers end the second-longest win streak in Twins history. The Twins won 15 straight in 1991, a season that ended with a World Series title.
[Forbes] The Three Fired MLB Managers Have Something In Common – The Baltimore Orioles parted ways with manager Brandon Hyde on Saturday following a 15-28 start to the season. He became the third MLB manager to lose his job this year, along with Bud Black and Derek Shelton, formerly of the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates. This is the first time three managers have been fired before June since 2002. Obviously, none of their former ballclubs have met expectations, but the managers don’t deserve all of the blame for the losing seasons. Other than their newfound free time, the three of them all have something in common: they were set up to fail by inadequate offseason roster-building.
Screamboat (2025)
Rating: C
Dir: Steven LaMorte
Star: Allison Pittell, David Howard Thornton, Jesse Posey, Amy Schumacher
Certainly the biggest of the public domain horror adaptations, with a reported budget of $2 million, and an actual name in Thornton, the star of the Terrifier franchise. It is the most faithful Steamboat Willie adaptation too, not least for taking place largely on New York’s Staten Island ferry. But in the end, it has not much more to offer than the usual, too familiar, “X, if X was a slasher.” This inevitably caps its effectiveness, compared to something genuinely subversive, like The Ugly Stepsister. However, if you’re in the mood for nasty fun – albeit fun of the least imaginative and only occasionally inspired kind – this should be capable of scratching that particular bloody itch.