Diamondbacks piggyback Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka, but offense falls flat again vs. Royals

The Arizona Diamondbacks welcomed back the pitching tandem of Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka on Wednesday, and the piggyback strategy had mixed results in a 5-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals.

The duo combined for a 7.1 innings and four earned runs, but the lack of run support was costly in the series finale.

The Diamondbacks were able to survive their lacking offensive firepower to win the first two games of this series on the backs of outstanding pitching, and in a game when the performance on the mound was so middling, the lineup failed in picking up the slack.

Arizona finished with nine hits and four walks, but it went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The D-backs put two runners aboard with no outs in the ninth inning against Royals reliever Nate Pearson with pinch hitter Gabriel Moreno and designated hitter Ketel Marte coming up.

It was an opportunity for Arizona’s most dangerous hitters in the lineup to come through in the clutch, but Pearson struck out Moreno and induced a double play from Marte.

The D-backs have gone 10 straight games without scoring more than three runs during the first nine innings. Corbin Carroll (lower back) was out of the lineup and will undergo an MRI on Thursday.

The Diamondbacks (78-69) completed their road trip with a 4-2 record and three extra-inning wins. They dropped to a half-game back of the San Diego Padres for the third National League Wild Card spot with 15 games left on the schedule.

The Padres swept the Washington Nationals this week, as the NL West foes continue to seesaw for that final playoff spot. Arizona’s four-game winning streak was snapped on Wednesday, while San Diego has won four straight games. They have been separated by a half-game every day in September so far.

Both teams have Thursday off.

Diamondbacks piggyback Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka

Gallen needed 68 pitches to get through 3.1 innings, and he allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits. He hardly threw a fastball, delivering the heater even more sparingly than he typically has this season (career-low 37%). The right-hander threw nine four-seam fastballs (13%), leaning heavily on his slider and curveball.

Gallen was able to limit damage, but without a confident fastball, at-bats lingered and he was not able to get his work done efficiently. He hung a slider to Carter Jensen for a solo home run.

Soroka faced more trouble right away.

Coming out of the bullpen for the first time this season, the righty was not sharp early and fed Bobby Witt Jr. a middle-middle sinker for a go-ahead, three-run home run.

Soroka was very effective throughout the rest of his outing, getting through four innings with the three earned runs. He needed seven pitches to complete the seventh inning and nine pitches to get through the eighth.

Soroka threw 58 pitches and struck out four hitters, getting back in the bullpen after the game to stretch further out.

Overall, Soroka looked more sure-handed than Gallen with better stuff, as has been the case all year, but the one mistake to Witt was all the Royals needed with a struggling D-backs offense on the other side.

By stacking Gallen and Soroka, the D-backs were able to preserve their taxed bullpen, which will also receive a day off on Thursday.

Gallen had not pitched since July 7, and Soroka had been out since Aug. 22.

The Diamondbacks will have to figure out how to handle their sudden surplus in starting pitching.

Even more pressing, they need their offense to break out in some fashion. Without much reliable power in the lineup, the Diamondbacks will continue to be forced to execute with runners on base, a shortcoming that has lasted for too long.

Final homestand coming up

The Diamondbacks will return home for a nine-game homestand, their last one of the season.

Arizona will host the Texas Rangers, Miami Marlins and New York Yankees, in order.

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