Diamondbacks rip Rangers to even World Series at game apiece

ARLINGTON, Texas — How many body blows does it take to keep the Diamondbacks down on the mat?

Their opponents have yet to find out.

The dramatic fashion in which the Rangers beat the Diamondbacks in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night had the feeling of a comeback that could have lasting effects.

But 24 hours later, the Diamondbacks had simply shrugged it off and were heading home with the series tied at one.

Behind a gem from Merrill Kelly and a scrappy lineup that kept adding on late, the Diamondbacks ran away with a 9-1 win over the Rangers in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday night at Globe Life Field.

Kelly shut down the Rangers’ potent lineup with seven sterling innings in which he struck out nine and walked none.

His only blemish was a solo home run off the bat of Mitch Garver in the fifth inning, but he otherwise cruised.

The right-hander retired the first 11 batters he faced and the last seven to silence the sellout crowd of 42,500 for most of the night.

The Diamondbacks pounded out 16 hits while building up a lead that was big enough that the Rangers could not erase it against the Arizona bullpen like they had the night before. Seven of their runs and eight of their hits came across the final three innings, turning a 4-1 lead into a blowout.

While the Diamondbacks had come within two outs of taking Game 1 on Friday night – only to see Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia deliver game-tying and game-winning home runs in the ninth and 11th innings, respectively – they did not allow it to demoralize them. The 84-win team that crashed the postseason just by getting to the Fall Classic are going to make a series out of it.

Ex-Met Tommy Pham spearheaded the offensive attack Saturday with four hits, including a pair of doubles, and scored two runs.

Ketel Marte broke the game open in the eighth inning with a two-run single that made it 6-1. It extended Marte’s postseason hitting streak to 18 games, setting an MLB record that was previously shared by Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez and Hank Bauer.

Jordan Montgomery, the big lefty who was shipped out of The Bronx last summer after the Yankees determined he would not be part of their postseason rotation, had to grind for most of the night. Making his fifth start of these playoffs – plus a 2 ⅓-inning relief appearance in Game 7 of the ALCS last Monday – Montgomery was not as sharp while giving up four runs across six-plus innings.

On a night when his velocity was down and he only generated two swings-and-misses, Montgomery had held the Diamondbacks to two runs through six innings. But he came back out for the seventh at 70 pitches and promptly allowed an Alek Thomas double and Evan Longoria single that made it a 3-1 and knocked Montgomery out of the game.

Another former Yankees left-hander, Andrew Heaney, entered in relief and allowed the inherited runner to score on Corbin Carroll’s single that put the Diamondbacks up 4-1.

Gabriel Moreno, the young catcher that continues to look like a stud after coming over from the Blue Jays in an offseason trade, smoked a home run into the visiting bullpen to give the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning.

One out later, Pham picked up his second hit of the game with a double down the first-base line. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who came with Moreno from Toronto for Daulton Varsho, followed with a single to left that doubled the lead.