The Arizona Diamondbacks dropped a 3-1 decision to the Houston Astros on Friday, September 4, 2026, at Minute Maid Park. Merrill Kelly gave up three earned runs on seven hits across six innings, and Arizona's offense could muster only a solo home run from Gabriel Moreno against a Houston pitching staff that held the D-backs to one run across nine innings. The loss hands the D-backs a frustrating result in a game they could never pull even after falling behind. Cristian Javier earned the win, Josh Hader picked up the save, and Arizona heads home having been held largely in check all night.

Merrill Kelly Runs Into Trouble Against Houston's Lineup

Kelly came in as Arizona's starter and kept his walk total at zero — a positive — but Houston's hitters made consistent contact throughout his six innings. He surrendered seven hits and three earned runs before handing the ball to the bullpen. Yordan Alvarez went 2-for-4 and kept pressure on Arizona all evening. Yainer Diaz went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an RBI, providing Houston a cushion Kelly could not overcome. Four strikeouts in six innings simply was not enough punch to offset the hit total.

Gabriel Moreno's Solo Homer Provides Arizona's Only Run

The Diamondbacks' offense was largely quieted by Cristian Javier, who struck out eight batters over five innings while allowing just one hit and three walks. Gabriel Moreno was responsible for that one hit and Arizona's only run, hitting a solo home run in two plate appearances to put the D-backs on the board. It was a quality at-bat from Moreno, but with no one else breaking through against Javier and the Houston bullpen, one run was never going to be enough.

Houston's Bullpen Slammed the Door

After Javier exited, the Astros turned to Enyel De Los Santos, Bennett Sousa, and Bryan Abreu to bridge the gap to closer Josh Hader. De Los Santos allowed a hit and a walk in just 0.1 innings, and Sousa gave up a hit and issued two walks over 1.1 innings — Arizona had baserunners but could not convert. Hader then closed out the ninth with three strikeouts, no hits, and no walks allowed, finishing off a clean save and ending any hope of a late Arizona rally.

Arizona's Bullpen Showed Bright Spots

To their credit, Justin Martinez and Derek Law kept Arizona within striking distance after Kelly exited. Martinez struck out two in a perfect inning of relief, and Law followed with a scoreless frame of his own. Neither allowed a hit or a run, which at minimum kept the game from getting further out of hand. The back-end arms did their job — the offense simply could not answer.

Turning Point: The Middle Innings

Arizona trailed by two through the middle innings with Javier dealing. The D-backs generated baserunners against the Houston bullpen but left them stranded, and by the time Hader entered in the ninth, the window had effectively closed. There was no single catastrophic moment — just a steady inability to string hits together when it mattered most.

What's Next for the Diamondbacks

  • Arizona returns home to Chase Field for their next series.
  • The pitching staff will need Kelly to bounce back and limit the damage after a seven-hit outing.
  • The offense must find ways to generate more than one run against quality pitching if the D-backs want to string wins together in September.