Zac Gallen effective, Diamondbacks' offense cooks in comfortable win over A's
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen steeled himself for a potential trade this week, preparing to say goodbye to a city with which he has come to identify. Instead, the trade deadline came and went — and Gallen did not go with it.
So far as he is concerned, that isn’t such a bad thing.
“To me, this organization, the city, the community, means a lot to me,” he said after his first post-deadline start, in which he fired six-plus innings of two-run ball in a 7-2 win over the Athletics at Sutter Health Park.
“Obviously, the circumstances of this year are not what anyone in this room — or not in this room anymore — intended. But there could be worse things — I don’t want this to sound wrong, but, like, (there could be) worse places to be. I’m happy to be here.”
Ketel Marte blasted a solo homer in the first inning and Corbin Carroll drilled one of his own in the ninth, signs that the Diamondbacks’ top hitters might be snapping out of what has been a quiet stretch for both.
Alek Thomas added a solo shot, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. delivered a much-needed hit with runners in scoring position, and the Diamondbacks’ bullpen fired three scoreless innings, preserving a victory to bring an end to a six-game losing skid.
Gallen said it sounded as if he lived through the trade deadline the same way as anyone else — following deals as they unfolded. He had a sense of the way the front office was handling the players it had made available — and he knew, being a pitcher, that meant his fate might not be decided until the final minutes.
“It was kind of just wait,” he said, “and see what happened.”
Some time after the deadline, general manager Mike Hazen called him with the news: He was staying put. By that point, Gallen had concluded as much. And, he said, that was fine with him.
“It’s no secret,” he said. “I didn’t pitch well, so I kind of put them in a tough spot to get any kind of crazy value. For me, I think it’ll be a blessing in disguise to be able to spend two months here. To be able to figure out what’s going on in a place I’m comfortable with, a place I can still be myself.”
An impending free agent, Gallen has plenty at stake over these final two months. If he can rediscover his old form, it could be the difference of tens of millions of dollars. On this night, at least, he threw the ball well. He gave up nine hits and walked none and worked out of several jams. While he struck out only three, he did elicit 11 swinging strikes on the night, a sign that his stuff was relatively sharp.
For most of this road trip, the Diamondbacks have looked they had been consumed by their failures. Deflated, perhaps, by the reality that their run-up to the deadline had been a dud. Their at-bats were poor, their defense sloppy, their baserunning ugly.
They lost the series opener on August 1 but played a better brand. They looked energized to start the second game — and Gallen helped keep them that way.
“I think we’re going to play teams tough,” Gallen said. “There’s no secret about that. We’re in a little bit of a funk. Hopefully, today is a little bit of when the tide is turning in our favor.”
Lovullo hoping to ease pressure on Geraldo Perdomo
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said he is trying to take some things off of Geraldo Perdomo’s plate in hopes of allowing his shortstop to focus more on his play and less on everything surrounding him.
“I’m just going to ask him to go out and play baseball,” Lovullo said. “I’m still going to challenge him and have good conversations. I just want to take it easy on him. I know he weathers a lot, he takes on a lot.”
Perdomo is having a career-year at the plate — and is coming off a highly productive July in which he posted a .322/.431/.456 line in 25 games — but has struggled defensively and has run into a pair of outs on the bases in recent weeks.
Lovullo has always wanted Perdomo to supervise everything that happens on the infield, expecting him to be almost like a coach on the field. He also sometimes asks Perdomo to deliver messages from him to players.
For now, though, he wants him to focus less on that stuff.
“He loves that,” Lovullo said. “He asked me to continue doing that. But I said, ‘This is the first of August and there’s a lot we’re taking on right now and the more I add onto you, the tougher it becomes. I’m going to still have conversations with you, but I’m going to take care of my own business. I’m not going to put it all on you.’
“He said he loves it when I go to him and challenge him directly for the team to play better and be better. But overall I just feel like it’s a lot at this point in the year.”
Diamondbacks at Athletics, 7:05 p.m., Cox, Ch. 34
Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (7-12, 5.60) vs. Athletics RHP J.T. Ginn (2-2, 3.89).
At Sutter Health Park: Gallen had been a candidate to be traded at the deadline, but the Diamondbacks wound up holding onto him after failing to receive the type of offer they needed to be compelled to move him. … He last pitched over the weekend in Pittsburgh, giving up four runs in six innings in a start that has been typical for him. Close to being a good outing, a couple of batters here and there spoiled his day. … In three career starts against the A’s, Gallen has a 1.06 ERA with two runs allowed in 17 innings. He last faced them in 2024, firing six scoreless innings. … Ginn fired six scoreless innings against the Astros in his most recent start, giving up just three hits, walking none and striking out four. … He averages about 94 mph with his sinker and relies heavily on his slider, eliciting a 32% whiff rate on the pitch. … Originally selected by the Mets in the second round of the 2020 draft, Ginn has made only 21 big league appearances in parts of two seasons and has never faced the Diamondbacks.
Coming up
Aug. 3: At Sacramento, 1:05 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (3-7, 5.63) vs. Athletics RHP Luis Severino (5-11, 4.83).
Aug. 4: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (10-7, 5.11) vs. Padres LHP J.P. Sears (7-9, 4.95).
Aug. 5: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (6-3, 3.20) vs. Padres RHP Yu Darvish (1-3, 6.46).