ST. PETERSBURG -- Talk to Merrill Kelly after one of his starts, and he can give you a lesson in pitching with well-thought-out answers. A possessor of a pedestrian fastball in this day and age of flamethrowers, the Diamondbacks' right-hander has lasted this long in the big leagues because he knows how to pitch.
After another subpar outing, though, Kelly was out of answers.
"I'm starting to run out of words for how bad I've been this year," he said in the quiet of the visitor's clubhouse at Tropicana Field not long after the Rays completed a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks with a 5-1 win.
The loss dropped the Diamondbacks to 41-42 on the season, the first time they've been below the .500 mark since May 17.
This was supposed to be a banner year for Kelly. The 37-year-old had been dealt by the Diamondbacks at last year's Trade Deadline, only to sign a two-year, $40 million free-agent deal to return to Arizona.
Scheduled to make the first Opening Day start of his career, Kelly got injured early in the spring and opened the year on the injured list. He was outstanding in his first start of the year against the Orioles on April 14, but it's been a bumpier ride for him since.
There have been some really good games -- like his first career complete game against the Rockies at Coors Field on May 15, in which he allowed just one run.
But there have also been bad ones and the man the Diamondbacks have counted on to provide quality starts for them since 2019 continues to search for answers as to why.
"If I had a solid answer, I'd fix it," he said after allowing five runs over six innings against the Rays. "[Today] felt like more of the same -- just missed locations and bad counts. I think most of it stems from [mechanics]. ... I think if we're not mechanically sound, obviously, the ball's not going to go where we want it to."
Manager Torey Lovullo was not as down on Kelly's performance as Kelly was, saying that, "I've seen him better, but I liked the way he used his fastball and made his pitches."
Kelly will go back to work in the days before his next start. Looking at video, trying to unlock what might be causing his issues.
"Just keep pounding the pavement, keep going back to the drawing board, and keep working with the coaches," Kelly said. "And trust that we're going to figure something out to turn it around."
The outing pushed Kelly's ERA to 5.84. The Diamondbacks desperately need him and Zac Gallen to get going, especially with the recent injuries to starters Ryne Nelson and Michael Soroka -- not to mention the health setback that will keep Corbin Burnes on the IL until at least September.
It's the responsibility Kelly feels towards his teammates -- more so than his ERA -- is what has made this the most frustrating stretch of his career.
"I know we've still got half the season left, but as a whole on the year, definitely the most frustrating, the poorest results. [The] poorest I've felt definitely and the least I feel like I'm doing my job," Kelly said. "The numbers are what they are, but not doing what the team needs me to do, what the team counts on me to do every fifth day.
"Obviously, we're not playing up to our ability. Normally, I feel like I've prided myself on being the one who can stop a slide or get us moving in the right direction, and this year, I have not been able to do that."