D-backs Sweep Rangers Behind Zac Gallen's Dominant Start
With a chance to slide back into a playoff spot tonight, the Diamondbacks turned to their ace to set the tone. Zac Gallen did just that, holding the Texas Rangers to one run in six innings with 11 strikeouts in a 6-3 win. The win gives Arizona their fourth consecutive series win and their ninth win in their last 11 games.
"First it was Zac going out there and setting an aggressive tone," said D-backs manager Torey Lovullo. "Gave us six really solid innings."
Gallen took advantage of the Rangers' aggressiveness against his 4-seamer, getting chases above the zone and setting up the curveball and changeup down in the zone. Lovullo remarked one particular pitch, a changeup that led to a Corey Seager strikeout in the fifth, as a sign his ace was locked in for the night.
"When I saw that pitch, I just felt like that's what a major league pitcher who's locked in looks like. He wasn't throwing a lot of changeups today. It was mostly fastball top bar, breaking ball off that and out of nowhere pulled out some changeups. He just had it going on today, he was filling up the zone with a lot of pitches."
While Gallen was putting up zeros, the offense went to work against Rangers starter Jon Gray. The consistent theme in all three innings they scored was the bottom of the order playing a big role. In the second, a big hit by Gabriel Moreno allowed the D-backs to score three runs. In the fifth Geraldo Perdomo hit the first of three singles that knocked Gray out of the game. In the sixth Moreno led off the frame with a double, which allowed them to manufacture a key tack-on run.
"The little things started popping up again today, and they have been the past 7-10 games. We're playing good baseball. We got to continue to do the things as far as advancing runners, Alek Thomas knocking down 90 feet on the line drive single by [Marcus] Semien in the third inning that resulted in a double play. Perdomo bunting, getting a little scratch run, getting us our sixth run. That's who we are."
With a 6-1 lead, Lovullo elected to pull his ace after six innings and 90 pitches. That ended up backfiring a bit, as the Rangers scored two quick runs to cut the lead to three. Justin Martinez faced three hitters, allowing two to reach on a walk and a double, before Kyle Nelson came in to allow both runners to score. Miguel Castro came in and recorded the last out of the inning with the potential tying run at the plate. A scoreless eighth inning from Kevin Ginkel set the stage for a very intense ninth inning.
Closer Paul Sewald came in to face the top of the Rangers order. Marcus Semien tagged a ball to the right center gap that Alek Thomas sprinted back and made of the best catches of the season. Lovullo remarked that the catch gave them a big push.
"You get a big out against Semien, and that first out of the ninth inning with a three-run lead gave us a breath of fresh air. It's a great play, and I think great players do great things at great times. It was certainly a great defensive play by Alek."
That catch would ultimately make a huge difference, as the Rangers loaded the bases with one out against Sewald. The veteran closer did not buckle, striking out Mitch Garver then inducing a groundout from Travis Jankowski to leave them loaded.
The D-backs now currently in the third Wild Card spot, just percentage points behind the Chicago Cubs. They will play another big series that could decide the direction of their season as the Cincinnati Reds come into town for a four-game series on Thursday. Lovullo announced the rotation of the series to be Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, Zach Davies, and Slade Cecconi.
