Zac Gallen Stops D-backs Slide with Dominant Start

The Diamondbacks broke a three game losing streak with an 8-2 victory over the Giants.

Sep 25, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Zac Gallen struck out a season-high 11 batters in six dominant innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the San Francisco Giants Wednesday night 8-2. They broke a three-game losing streak in the process.

With their lead over the Braves in the NL Wild Card chase hanging by the thinnest of threads, the D-backs desperately needed a strong outing from their best starter. "The Milkman" delivered just that.

Gallen's outing started out a bit shaky when he walked a batter in the first inning. He continued to throw more balls than strikes through his first 25 pitches, walking the lead-off hitter in the second inning. That runner came around to score on a double from Tyler Fitzgerald.

That was all the Giants got off of Gallen the rest of the night however, as he settled in and attacked the zone. Gallen retired the next 12 batters in a row, striking out seven of them.

Heliot Ramos roped a one out double in the sixth, but Gallen got out of the jam easily by inducing a ground out and then striking out Matt Chapman for his final batter faced.

Not surprisingly, it was the curveball that was most effective for Gallen, as he had 10 swing and miss on the breaking ball out of 15 swings. Torey Lovullo pulled him from the game with 97 pitches thrown, and 61 for strikes. His final line was 6 innings, 2 hits, 2 walks and 11 strikeouts.

Gallen finishes his 2024 regular season with a 14-6 record and a 3.65 ERA . He threw 148 innings in 28 starts and posted a 3.37 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching). He is now in line to start game one of a Wild Card playoff series should the D-backs make it that far.

The offense got going in the second inning. Christian Walker got it started with a double. RBI base hits from Lourdes Gurriel Jr, and Gabriel Moreno put the D-backs up 2-0. It would have been a lot more but Mike Yastrzemski made a fantastic running catch on a line shot into the corner by Corbin Carroll with the bases loaded. The D-backs had to settle for a sacrifice fly and their third run of the inning.

Pavin Smith put the game on ice with a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the eighth, a moon shot into the pool. It was Smith's ninth homer of the year and sixth in the month of September.

The D-backs record goes to 88-71. The idle Atlanta Braves, who were rained out, are 86-71. The Mets are 87-70. Both teams hold the tie-breaker advantage over the D-backs, but if the D-backs wn their remaining three games against the Padres, then they are in the playoffs.

Thursday is an off day. Merrill Kelly will start on Friday against the Padres against left-hander Martin Perez. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m.