SAN DIEGO — Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen worked another excellent start with six innings and no earned runs in Monday’s 6-3 win against the San Diego Padres.
After placing relievers Shelby Miller and Ryan Thompson on the injured list in the past two days, Arizona ran into trouble in the late innings but the bullpen did enough to hold the line. Kevin Ginkel earned the save after Alek Thomas made a clutch sliding catch in the ninth inning to rob Jackson Merrill of extra bases. That play avoided bringing the tying run to the plate.
The Diamondbacks’ lineup — after getting shut out on Sunday — provided enough cushion and finished with nine hits, including five for extra bases, and six walks.
Arizona moved to 45-46 on the season and 3-1 against San Diego.
Zac Gallen deals vs. Padres
Gallen has delivered back-to-back gem starts against division foes, as he threw seven innings with one earned run and 10 strikeouts against the San Francisco Giants last week.
He also has a track record against the Padres. In his last five starts against them, he’s allowed five earned runs in 26.2 innings (1.69 ERA).
The Diamondbacks did not play a clean first inning after going down 1-2-3 against Padres starter Yu Darvish.
Gallen walked lead-off man Fernando Tatis Jr., who scored on a throwing error from shortstop Geraldo Perdomo on a potential inning-ending double play.
After a pair of damage-free innings, Gallen loaded the bases with a hit-by-pitch in the fourth, but he escaped.
From there, he struck out the side in the fifth inning and punched out two more in a scoreless sixth to end his night. He threw a total of 103 pitches, which tied his season high.
Gallen delivered at least six innings with three earned runs or fewer in back-to-back starts for the second time all year, last doing so in consecutive outings against the New York Mets back in May.
He’ll make one more start before the All-Star break.
Diamondbacks face Yu Darvish
The D-backs faced Darvish for the 20th time in his career, and Monday was eventful for San Diego as Darvish made his season debut after dealing with elbow injuries.
Arizona tied the game in the second inning on an RBI double down the third-base line by Eugenio Suarez, his 74th RBI of the season (tied for second in MLB).
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. singled home the go-ahead run in the third inning, and Darvish exited with two outs in the fourth (3.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 K).
Naylor padded the lead with a 413-foot shot to right-center field in the fifth inning of southpaw Yuki Matsui. Corbin Carroll tripled home another run in the eighth inning and scored on a Perdomo single. Carroll, who was hitless over his first two games after coming off the injured list (fractured wrist), went 2-for-5 with a double and his 10th triple of the season.
Bullpen adventure
Arizona placed Miller on the 15-day IL with right forearm tightness just before first pitch.
The bullpen was in a tough spot to begin with, and Monday was quite a ride.
Kyle Backhus recorded the first four of nine outs while allowing two runs, one of which was earned. A second Perdomo error cost him a run in the seventh, and Manny Machado hit a solo shot in the eighth to cut Arizona’s lead to 6-3.
Arizona called in Juan Morillo — just recalled for Miller — with one on and one out, and he walked the bases loaded with two outs. Morillo then fell behind pinch hitter Elias Diaz 3-1 with All-Star Fernando Tatis Jr. on deck before coming back to record the strikeout.
Ginkel walked Tatis to lead off the ninth, but Machado bounced into the game-ending double play after Thomas’ heroics.
Milestone for Manny Machado
Machado put up three hits to surpass 2,000 for his career on Monday. He is only the fifth active player to reach that milestone, the others being Freddie Freeman, Jose Altuve, Andrew McCutchen and Paul Goldschmidt.
Up next for Diamondbacks
Merrill Kelly (3.55 ERA) will follow Gallen on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. MST. San Diego will run out right-hander Nick Pivetta (3.25).
Catch the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
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