Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen named NL Player of the Week

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Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen was named the National League Player of the Week on Monday.

After a not-so-Gallen-esque performance on Opening Day, he delivered in his ensuing two starts, both of which were D-backs victories.

Last week, the right-handed starting pitcher went 2-0 and didn’t allow a run in 13.2 innings pitched.

He only gave up one walk and five hits while striking out a whopping 18 batters.

Gallen led the NL in innings pitched last week in addition to leading all of Major League Baseball in strikeouts.

In his 11-strikeout performance over 7.0 innings in a 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Chase Field on April 10, Gallen got 17 swing-and-misses while also throwing a career-high 40 curveballs that claimed 10 whiffs.

17 swings and misses for Zac Gallen tonight. pic.twitter.com/OIF0MoRJGX

— Alex Weiner (@alexjweiner) April 11, 2023

“I think it just kind of felt comfortable,” Gallen said of the curveball usage after the game. “Read the game, the flow of the game as the game goes on and just kind of see what the hitters are giving me. Felt like just using the curveball was the way to go.”

The outing also marked the sixth 10-strikeout game for Gallen in a Diamondbacks uniform, which ranks tied with Ian Kennedy for the eighth-most in franchise history.

However, Gallen still has quite a ways to go to catch Randy Johnson at 106.

Gallen’s 6.2 scoreless innings in Sunday’s 5-0 win over 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara and the Miami Marlins brought the D-backs ace’s record to 2-1 and ERA to 3.33 on the season as he pursues his first career Cy Young Award.

The 27-year-old Gallen is currently on a 14.2 scoreless-inning streak, which is still quite a few masterful starts away from the franchise record of 44.1 that he set last season.

His next start is lined up to be on Friday at Chase Field against the San Diego Padres.

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