PHOENIX (Interstat) — Merrill Kelly pitched seven effective innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the New York Mets 2-1 on Saturday night at Chase Field.

Kelly (2-3) allowed one run on three hits, striking out six, to end a three-start skid. Paul Sewald earned his eighth save with a perfect ninth inning. The Diamondbacks improved to 18-20, while the Mets fell to 15-24.

Clay Holmes (4-3) took the loss despite a sharp outing. He allowed two runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out six. The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Brett Baty doubled to bring in Marcus Semien.

Arizona answered in the third. Ildemaro Vargas singled to left, driving in Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo. The Diamondbacks held the lead behind Kelly, who yielded just three hits and walked none.

The game lasted 2 hours, 31 minutes before a crowd of 38,726. Arizona’s Ildemaro Vargas had two RBIs, and Baty drove in the lone run for New York.