PHOENIX (Interstat) — Merrill Kelly bounced back from three consecutive rough outings by pitching seven effective innings, and the Arizona Diamondbacks edged the New York Mets 2-1 on Saturday night at Chase Field.

Kelly (2-3) allowed one run on three hits, struck out six and walked two in his longest start since April 17. After surrendering six earned runs in each of his previous two starts, the right-hander retired 10 of the final 11 batters he faced and gave the Diamondbacks a much-needed performance in front of 38,726 fans.

Paul Sewald worked a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts for his eighth save in as many opportunities.

The Diamondbacks, who entered with three wins in their previous 11 games, improved to 18-20. The Mets dropped to 15-24.

Mets starter Clay Holmes (4-3) was sharp except for one costly inning. He allowed two runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking two. The right-hander gave up the decisive hit in the third inning when Ildemaro Vargas delivered a two-run single.

The game’s pivotal moment came in the bottom of the third. With one out, Corbin Carroll singled to right field. Geraldo Perdomo followed with a line-drive single to left, sending Carroll to third. Adrian Del Castillo walked to load the bases. Vargas then grounded a single to left field, scoring Carroll and Perdomo to give Arizona a 2-1 lead.

The Mets had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Marcus Semien led off with a sharp line-drive single to left. Brett Baty followed with a double to center field, scoring Semien. Baty’s hit was one of only three for the Mets in the game.

Arizona’s offense managed only six hits, but Kelly made the early lead stand. He induced weak contact and worked out of trouble when needed. In the fifth inning, after Tyrone Taylor doubled and Juan Soto was intentionally walked, Kelly retired Bo Bichette on a flyout to end the threat.

Holmes settled down after the third inning, retiring six of the next seven batters he faced before being lifted with two outs in the sixth. Austin Warren struck out Gabriel Moreno to end the inning and later pitched a scoreless seventh. Craig Kimbrel worked a perfect eighth.

Arizona threatened again in the bottom of the seventh when Ketel Marte doubled with two outs, but Carroll flew out to right field to end the inning.

In the eighth, the Diamondbacks loaded the bases on walks to Perdomo and Del Castillo, but Warren induced a flyout from Vargas, a popout from Nolan Arenado and a strikeout of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to keep the score 2-1.

Sewald sealed the win in the ninth, striking out MJ Melendez and Carson Benge around a flyout by Mark Vientos.

The game lasted 2 hours, 31 minutes.

Kelly’s performance was a welcome turnaround for Arizona. He had allowed five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs on May 3 and six earned runs in five innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 28. Against the Mets, he used a mix of fastballs and changeups to keep batters off balance, striking out six and allowing only three hits.

Holmes, meanwhile, continued a pattern of strong outings. He had allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his previous five starts. The lone blemish Saturday was the third inning, when Vargas’s single decided the game.

For the Mets, Baty’s double was the only extra-base hit. Taylor also doubled in the fifth but was left stranded. The Mets went 1 for 4 with runners in scoring position and left four runners on base.

For Arizona, Marte doubled and scored a run. Vargas drove in two runs. Carroll and Perdomo each singled and scored. Del Castillo walked twice.

The Diamondbacks’ bullpen contributed a scoreless inning from Taylor Clarke in the eighth. Clarke faced four batters and retired them in order.

The Mets’ bullpen combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Warren allowed one hit in 1 1/3 innings with a strikeout. Kimbrel pitched a perfect eighth with a strikeout.

The win evened the four-game series at one game apiece after the Mets won 3-1 in 10 innings Friday night. The teams meet again Sunday for the series finale.

Arizona’s recent struggles had been pronounced. The Diamondbacks had lost seven of their last 10 games entering Saturday, including a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday and a 1-0 loss Wednesday. The offense had averaged just 2.8 runs per game during that stretch.

The Mets had won four of their previous five games before Saturday, including a 3-1 victory in the series opener. New York had scored 10 runs in a win over the Colorado Rockies on May 6 and had taken two of three from the Los Angeles Angels before arriving in Phoenix.

The Mets were playing the fifth game of a 10-game road trip that continues Sunday. They return home Tuesday to host the Detroit Tigers.

Arizona’s next game is Sunday against the Mets, then the Diamondbacks travel to face the Texas Rangers for a three-game series starting Monday.

The game featured two successful challenges. In the top of the first, the Diamondbacks successfully challenged a tag play, and a pickoff of MJ Melendez was overturned. In the bottom of the second, the Mets challenged a pitch result, but the call of a strikeout of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was confirmed.

In the bottom of the third, the Mets challenged a pitch result involving Ryan Waldschmidt, and the call was overturned, resulting in a strikeout.

The win was Arizona’s second in three games against the Mets this season. The teams have split four meetings overall, with the Mets winning two of three at home in early April.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Arizona 4, New York 3. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Arizona with a 56.30 percent probability to win. The Mets had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5 runs. The total of three runs went under the over/under line of 8.5.