Zac Gallen had a gem going, until he didn’t in loss to Cardinals

Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen appeared to be back on track with five shutout innings to start his night at Busch Stadium, but the St. Louis Cardinals rallied for four runs off Gallen in the sixth inning to snatch a 4-3 win on Friday night.

The D-backs (26-25) have dropped three straight games after winning five out of seven, as the roller coaster continues. Friday’s game looked awfully similar to Arizona’s 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday. In both games, the D-backs carried a 1-0 lead into the sixth before a back-breaking, two-out extra-base hit changed everything.

Ketel Marte’s solo home run off Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas in the fourth inning was the lone source of offense for the club until the ninth, when pinch hitter Gabriel Moreno blasted a two-run shot off Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley.

Zac Gallen had it working early, but walks continue to be an issue

Gallen entered Friday having to bounce back from giving up six runs, including four home runs, in five innings against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field last weekend.

The right-hander sat down seven of the first eight Cardinals hitters he faced, as the early innings suggested this game would be a pitchers’ duel.

After shutting out the Cardinals (28-23) with one hit allowed through five frames, Gallen quickly faced trouble in the sixth. Victor Scott II led off with his second single of the game, and Gallen walked Lars Nootbaar.

Masyn Winn dropped down a bunt, and Ketel Marte saved at least a run by picking Josh Naylor’s throw to first, but only temporarily. Gallen eventually walked home a run, and Nolan Arenado broke the game open with a three-run triple to left-center field with two outs.

Center fielder Alek Thomas covered a mile to get to the ball’s landing spot, but the baseball bounced off him as he slid and kicked away. It would have been a game-saving catch, and while Arizona’s defense has improved as the season’s progressed, those types of plays have been elusive.

BASES CLEARING TRIPLE FOR NOLAN ARENADO!! pic.twitter.com/dTjm4N6XP9

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 24, 2025

Gallen did himself no favors with the walks, an area he’s struggled with all year. His 10.3% walk rate entering Friday was the 11th-highest in Major League Baseball. His walk rate last year was 8.7%, a significant bump from 5.6% in 2023.

“The walk percentage is uncharacteristically higher than we’ve seen it,” manager Torey Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo pregame.

“It’s more of a mindset where he can’t throw the ball where he wants, but he’s trying to make a perfect pitch. …  To go out there and put the ball where he wants to and follow a game plan, I think that’s his biggest strength. And when he does that, he has a lot of success.”

The Diamondbacks out-hit the Cardinals 8-4 but just could not build innings. Arizona has scored seven runs over its last three games, six of which have come in the ninth inning or extras.

Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo both had off nights, combining for a 0-for-9 line.

Cardinals’ manager ejected

In the fourth inning, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was ejected by home plate umpire Ron Kulpa for arguing balls and strikes.

Kulpa, a St. Louis native, had just rung up Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera on a pitch down. Kulpa previously called Carroll out on strikes on a ball way above the zone, so both teams had to deal with an expanded strike zone at times.

Bench coach Daniel Descalso, a former Cardinals and Diamondbacks player, took over as acting manager.

Diamondbacks’ next game

The series continues Saturday at 11:15 a.m.

Merrill Kelly starts for Arizona against St. Louis left-hander and Valley native Matthew Liberatore. Kelly has a 2.02 ERA in his last eight starts. Liberatore (2.92 ERA) was born in Peoria and graduated from Mountain Ridge High School.

The game airs on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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