By the Associated Press

Merrill Kelly pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, Kole Calhoun hit a solo homer and a run-scoring single, and the Arizona Diamondbacks pulled away late to beat the San Diego Padres 5-1 on Friday night.

Kelly (3-1) continued his impressive start to the season after earning a spot in the rotation during summer camp. The right-hander gave up just three hits and two walks while striking out seven and lowered his season ERA to 1.71.

After a rough start to the season, the D-backs have won six of nine games to improve to 9-11. The Padres fell to 11-10. It was already the eighth meeting between the teams in 2020 and the Padres still lead the series 5-3.

Emerging San Diego ace Dinelson Lamet and Kelly traded scoreless innings until the sixth, when Calhoun ripped a line drive homer that just cleared the right-field wall. It was Calhoun’s fifth homer of the season.

Lamet (2-1) continued his string of good outings, giving up exactly one earned run in all five of his starts this season. He threw six innings on Friday, giving up three hits and striking out eight. He has a 1.59 ERA this season.

The D-backs added four runs in the eighth. Calhoun, Starling Marte and David Peralta all had run-scoring hits while Ketel Marte brought home a run with a sacrifice fly. The Padres managed just six hits and didn’t score until the ninth inning.

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.

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