Zac Gallen delivered a dominant six-inning, no-hit performance, leading the Diamondbacks to a 6-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Aside from three consecutive walks with two outs in the second inning, Gallen allowed just one other baserunner—a walk to start the sixth inning. At one point, Gallen retired 10 straight hitters. Unfortunately, his pitch count reached 100 in the sixth, forcing him to leave the game.
By the time Gallen left, Arizona had built a 4-0 lead. The Diamondbacks struck early, with Josh Bell driving in Corbin Carroll on a slider after two walks opened the game. In the second inning, Eugenio Suárez launched his 24th home run of the season on the sixth pitch of his at-bat. Pavin Smith added to the lead in the fifth with his first homer in the majors since June 5.
Suárez was full of praise for Gallen after the game, calling him “the smartest pitcher in the game” and “one of the best starting pitchers in the league” during a postgame interview with Todd Walsh on D-backs TV. Suárez humorously recalled telling Gallen, “You can’t pitch a complete game,” despite his stellar performance.
However, after Gallen left with the no-hitter intact, reliever Kevin Ginkel struggled. Tyler Fitzgerald broke up the no-hitter with a single up the middle, followed by LaMonte Wade Jr.’s two-run homer, trimming the Diamondbacks’ lead to 4-2.
The Diamondbacks responded by adding some insurance runs. Suárez nearly hit his second homer of the night, but his deep drive bounced off the top of the wall, staying in play. His double advanced Pavin Smith to third with no outs, setting up Arizona to capitalize and stretch their lead. Suárez joked postgame that he thought the ball was gone, only for teammate Paul Sewald to quip, “You have no power,” a nod to their time together in Seattle.
A.J. Puk continued his dominance out of the bullpen, striking out the side in the seventh inning. Puk has now tossed 17 innings for the Diamondbacks, allowing just one earned run during that span.
In the ninth inning, with a four-run cushion, Torey Lovullo turned to rookie Justin Martinez, still mindful of the close call from the previous night. The Giants made things tense once again, as the leadoff man walked, Fitzgerald doubled, and Wade Jr. drove in two more runs with a single, cutting the lead to 6-4.
While Arizona’s bullpen woes persist, Suárez emphasized postgame that the key for the team over the next few weeks is to “keep the vibes high” as they make their final playoff push.
