Sometimes, the story of a game isn't just about the final score—it's about the journey. And for Diamondbacks fans, today's 2-1 win over the Mets was all about Merrill Kelly finally living up to the promise.

Coming into his fifth start of the season, Kelly was carrying a brutal 9.95 ERA. His spring training was cut short, followed by a lengthy rehab stint that had everyone wondering when—or if—the ace would return to form. Last Sunday, the broadcasters kept insisting he was "turning the corner," only for him to surrender six earned runs and fail to complete five innings against the Cubs. So forgive the pessimism heading into today's nationally televised matchup on Fox.

The opponent? Clay Holmes, who entered with seven starts and an NL-leading 1.69 ERA. A pitcher's duel seemed like the last thing on the menu.

But baseball has a way of surprising you. Kelly started sharp, retiring the first two batters quickly before walking Mets DH MJ Melendez on six pitches. It looked like the control issues were creeping back—until Kelly picked Melendez off first with a perfect throw to Ildemaro Vargas. Just 11 pitches, minimum batters faced. Meanwhile, Holmes matched him pitch for pitch in the bottom of the first, retiring our top three in order on—you guessed it—11 pitches. Eerie symmetry.

The second inning brought a hiccup. After two quick outs, Marcus Semien singled, and then Brett Baty turned on a first-pitch meatball left right over the heart of the plate, sending it to deep center for an RBI double. 1-0, Queens.

The Diamondbacks answered in the bottom half. DH Adrian Del Castillo led off with a single, and Nolan Arenado drew a one-out walk. But the bottom of the lineup struggled mightily today—collectively going 0-for-11 with six strikeouts—and Holmes made quick work of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno to snuff out the rally.

It wasn't pretty, but for a team looking for its ace to find his groove, this was a quality start in every sense of the word.