PHOENIX -- It goes in the books as a win. One win in one of 162 games over the course of a long baseball season.

Maybe, just maybe though, the D-backs' 3-1 come-from-behind win over the Cardinals on Tuesday night at Chase Field will be the start of something bigger.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak and gave the D-backs hope that perhaps they’ve turned the corner after having dropped nine of 11.

“I think that one meant a little more,” said outfielder Corbin Carroll. “We've just got a lot of guys that are grinding right now, and no one wants to be playing the way we are and struggling the way we are. But just to put one in the win column like I think that takes some pressure off.”

It wasn’t just that the D-backs won, it was how they won that could provide the boost.

The game marked the return of Merrill Kelly, who has missed almost a month due to a blood clot in his lower right leg. Kelly was outstanding, allowing just one run over six innings.

And while it was another struggle for the offense for most of the game, the D-backs managed a three-run rally in the eighth thanks to some good at-bats, an RBI single by Jake McCarthy and a two-run, pinch-hit triple by Carroll.

Ketel Marte started the inning off with a bang when he tripled to right-center, and as he pulled into third, he gestured to the home dugout as well as the fans to make some noise.

“When you talk about a push moment or looking for something that's gonna help you move through some of the things that we've been grinding through, this is exactly what you are hoping to see,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “You want to win the game. If you cruise through it 1-0, that’s an awesome win. But to win the way we did and fight the way we fought…”

This may indeed prove to be a momentum-building win, but what will most help the D-backs over the final 60 games of the season is the presence of Kelly.

Though often overshadowed by Zac Gallen, Kelly has been a consistent force for Arizona the past several seasons. Nicknamed “Merrill the Mainstay” by D-backs TV play-by-play voice Steve Berthiaume because of how reliable he is, Kelly’s return adds another veteran to a rotation that has three young pitchers in Tommy Henry, Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt.

Since being diagnosed with the clot, Kelly had only thrown twice in simulated games at the team’s Spring Training facility, but he did not show any signs of rust.

“It looked like he hadn’t missed a beat,” Carroll said of Kelly. “Coming in and throwing six innings of one-run ball. That’s the way he’s been all year and just great to see him step right back in and be who he is.”

Lovullo thought about removing Kelly after five innings and 75 pitches, but after talking with Kelly, he decided to leave him in for the sixth.

And while it seemed like he didn’t miss a beat, Kelly said being back in a big league game, instead of a simulated one against Minor Leaguers, took some getting used to.

“I would say towards the end there I was definitely getting a little tired,” Kelly said. “I don't know if it was my first time back or if it was just super hot in here, but it felt super muggy and I was sweating like crazy. Just gonna take a little bit to get my feet back underneath me.”