Diamondbacks player Zac Gallen dominates in decisive win against Giants

PHOENIX – The Arizona Diamondbacks desperately needed their star to “step up to the occasion” and end a three-game losing streak, and Zac Gallen delivered against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

In what was likely his final regular-season start, Gallen gave the D-backs six innings of one run on two hits, posting a season-high 11 strikeouts and keeping Arizona (88-71) in a postseason spot en route to an 8-2 victory.

“This is probably the best feeling I’ve had in a long time,” Gallen said. “There were some good performances, but either I just didn’t feel that good or I was struggling with a slight illness for a while. … This is the best in a long time.”

His day didn’t start out particularly well, as Gallen struggled through the first two innings, throwing 41 pitches, and San Francisco took a 1-0 lead in the second on a double by Tyler Fitzgerald. From there, Gallen was brilliant, shutting out 12 consecutive Giants with seven punchouts.

Meanwhile, the offense got back on track. In innings 2 through 4, Arizona scored five runs on seven hits and five walks. By the end of the fourth inning, every D-back batter had reached base safely. The Giants pulled starter Mason Black from the game after 2.2 innings.

Pavin Smith decided the game in the eighth inning with a pinch hit and a three-run shot to the pool and took an 8-2 lead.

The third inning was crucial. Arizona had just taken a 3-1 lead and Gallen got the offense going again with a 1-2-3 inning with nine pitches. The D-backs extended their lead to 4-1 and Gallen was on the road to success.

“Scoring some runs and playing a quick 1-2-3 inning, getting right back in the dugout, keeping the offense going, keeping the energy high, all of that is so important,” said first baseman Christian Walker.

Gallen completed seven of his strikeouts with the curveball, which caused 11 mishits in 17 swings, to which he said, “They just seemed really aggressive at the bottom of the zone, so I tried to use that to my advantage.”

The right-hander finished his September with a 2.67 ERA in five starts, all of which resulted in wins. Earlier this month, he held the Giants hitless in six shutout innings at Oracle Park.

“I’m definitely proud of the boys. It was a great event.”

Zac Gallen on the D-backs’ comeback. pic.twitter.com/ePh0zFFn3n

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) 26 September 2024

Gallen finished his regular season with a (probably) solid 3.65 ERA in 148 innings, and the D-backs went 18-10 in his starts (he posted a 14-6 record). There was more variance than we’ve been used to in recent seasons — 3.47 ERA in 2023, 2.54 in 2022 — as Gallen sought a certain rhythm throughout the year.

But honestly, Wednesday’s game was a must-win for the Diamondbacks and he was – in the words of manager Torey Lovullo and general manager Mike Hazen – the right man in the right place.

“The most important thing is to aim to win, not not to lose,” Gallen said. “When you get into a difficult situation, you can be a little, I don’t want to say shy, but maybe you wait for something to happen. So I try to attack, be aggressive and just give them a go.”

The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves had their games canceled on both Wednesday and Thursday due to rain, leaving the D-backs half a game ahead of both Wild Card contenders in the standings. The D-backs and Mets (87-70) are virtually one game ahead of the Braves (86-71) on Thursday.

The Diamondbacks had to deal with the blow of Sunday’s 10-9 loss in Milwaukee, and the next two days against the Giants were also below the level that had brought the club to this point.

Lovullo spoke to the team on Tuesday and said he considered yelling at them during an 11-0 loss but then changed his mind, and players recalled the message was quite positive. Wednesday was much closer to “Diamondbacks baseball,” with clean play and a lineup that can wear down a pitcher with its patience and depth.

There was a certain heaviness of the moment in the clubhouse; after the game, several players expressed not nervousness but a “sense of urgency”.

“That’s very important,” Walker said. “I think we had to prove ourselves to get back on track. We had to find a little bit of confidence and a little bit of self-awareness. Kudos to Gallen on the mound tonight, but I think we checked off a lot of boxes by taking a little bit of pressure off and relieving some of the pressure and reminding ourselves how good this offense can be.”

“I feel like there’s just a sense of urgency,” Smith added. “You could call it pressure. We know they’re super important, so there’s going to be a little bit more pressure. But just getting off to a good start today and then Gallen being so dominant took the pressure off a little bit.”

Lovullo described the record as clean as he heads into the final series of the regular season, which begins Friday against the San Diego Padres. Merrill Kelly will start the opener.

Hazen told Wolf & Luke by Arizona Sports Before the game, his goal was 90 wins, which requires a series sweep of the postseason-qualified Padres. That alone wouldn’t guarantee a playoff spot, which may not be decided until Monday when the Mets and Braves schedule a doubleheader, but it would put the D-backs in a strong position to contend.

A thorough investigation would remove all doubts.

“We feel like we control our own destiny here,” Walker said.

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