ATLANTA — Merrill Kelly allowed one hit in seven dominant innings, outpitching eight-time All-Star Chris Sale, and the Arizona Diamondbacks held off the scuffling Atlanta Braves 2-1 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.
After walking three batters in the ninth and hitting another with a pitch, forcing home a run, Arizona reliever Justin Martinez struck out Michael Harris II with the bases loaded to end it.
Kelly (6-2) fanned eight and walked one on 98 pitches. He threw 64 strikes and did not let a runner reach second base. It was the second time in his last four starts he fired seven shutout innings and yielded one hit.