PHOENIX -- This is the Merrill Kelly the Diamondbacks are used to seeing.
Kelly dominated the Mets through seven innings as Arizona evened the three-game series with a 2-1 win Saturday night at Chase Field.
It hasn't been an easy road for Kelly this year.
Signed to a two-year, $40 million free agent contract in the offseason, Kelly was tabbed to start on Opening Day, a first for the 37-year-old especially considering the Diamondbacks are his hometown team.
But a nerve irritation in his back at the beginning of Spring Training put an end to those plans, and Kelly had to open the year on the injured list.
The right-hander turned in an impressive performance in his first start back against the Orioles on April 14, but after that he showed the rust that most pitchers do when they miss large chunks of Spring Training.
In his next three outings, he pitched to a 12.51 ERA, and his command was nowhere near where it usually is and where it needs to be for a pitcher who does not rely on overwhelming velocity to get outs.
"I just think it's impossible to recreate the speed and intensity of a Major League game, period," Kelly said. "Whether it's Spring Training or rehab starts or backfield games, there's just nothing that can recreate a Major League Baseball game."
Kelly worked on slowing down his delivery a bit, which seemed to pay off in better command Saturday, and that allowed the game itself to slow down for him.
"Hopefully that means that my feet are getting a little bit more underneath me," he said.
Kelly scattered three hits and three walks, allowing just one run over seven innings.
The Diamondbacks got a two-run single from Ildemaro Vargas in the third, and that proved to be all they needed as Kelly, Taylor Clarke and Paul Sewald combined to hold the Mets to just one run -- a two-out RBI double by Brett Baty in the second.
"We were riding along with Merrill throughout the course of this win," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. "Merrill gave us seven unbelievable innings. I thought his stuff got better as he worked deeper into the game. His sixth inning was super clean, and he deserved that opportunity to push to go back out there and try and give us another inning, which he did. So all in all, we worked off of him today."
Kelly's signature pitch is his changeup, and when it's working, he is "fearless" according to Lovullo.
On Saturday, Kelly used both his changeup and slider to great effect, but it's the improved command that really makes the difference for Kelly.
As he walked off the mound following a 1-2-3 seventh, he was greeted with hugs and high fives from his teammates. How did that feel after the struggles of his previous outings?
"It's a little bittersweet," Kelly said. "You almost feel like the kid who finally passed the test. You know, you feel like the kid who's been getting F's the whole time and finally got an A. But like I said, it feels a lot better walking off the mound knowing that you gave your team a chance to win. And that's the big takeaway from today."
The Diamondbacks, who had lost seven of eight coming into the game, will look to win the series Sunday afternoon and get themselves pointed back in the right direction after a tough stretch.
"We have been grinding, but when you win a 2-1 game, in my opinion, the juices start flowing, everybody's engaged, there's a ton of focus," Lovullo said. "These are the types of games that get you rolling."