Diamondbacks’ Zac Gallen reunion reaches another low point as fans boo him off the field

PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks fans actually cheered manager Torey Lovullo for taking the ball from starting pitcher Zac Gallen in the fifth inning of Saturday’s noxious 16-8 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Chase Field.

Boos for Gallen, which started an inning earlier, resumed as he walked off the same field he received thunderous applause for his effort in Game 5 of the World Series three years ago.

By the end of what became a 10-run inning for the Twins, Gallen’s line was a grisly four frames, nine earned runs and 12 hits (a career high), raising his ERA to a major league-worst 6.10 in 16 starts.

That is a half-run worse than his ERA at this point a year ago, which was considered a disaster.

“It is what it is. They paid to come here and they’re unsatisfied,” Gallen said of getting booed by the home crowd. “I think it’s ironic when they boo players, because the player is probably the most unsatisfied with themselves. I’ll keep working, keep trying to prevent that from happening.

“They’re allowed to boo. I grew up outside of Philadelphia and I’m very familiar with, they voice their displeasure with the players when they’re not playing well. So yeah, it is what it is.”

Bringing back Gallen was seen as an unexpected win for the Diamondbacks by fans and media members in spring training, the return of a longtime franchise staple to a creative contract to take care of “unfinished business.”

After he did not find the free agent deal he was looking for, Gallen agreed to a one-year contract worth $22.03 million with most of the money deferred.

Arizona’s decision has not worked out thus far (6-10 in his starts), unless Gallen can turn his season around as he did in the final two months of 2025. And he needs to do it quickly.

Because now more than at any other point in the season, the D-backs need their adults providing stability in the rotation.

Zac Gallen gets nickel and dimed

Gallen did not really get crushed on Saturday, to be fair, which contributed to his frustration.

The average exit velocity against him was 82.9 mph, as he allowed 10 singles, most of which were not hit hard.

The Twins nickel and dimed Gallen to death, perfectly placing bloopers and grounders to where the defense could not save him.

“It’s kind of the frustrating part,” Gallen said. “When you talk about sticking to the process, and you have a night like that, it’s kind of tough.

“A little different story, I think, when you’re making mistakes and you’re getting whacked around the ballpark. That’s not, to me, as frustrating. That’s just like, I didn’t do a good job. But when you’re making good pitches, I felt like they were solidly located and just some unfortunate bounces.”

Minnesota’s hits parade just did not stop, as it went 9-for-12 against him in the fourth and fifth innings until it became untenable.

From there, the game descended into an embarrassment for the Diamondbacks, as the Twins jumped all over Yilber Diaz to put a 10 on the scoreboard and take a 16-0 lead.

The D-backs have a good record at home (24-16), but seven of those losses have come by six or more runs, which does not help build local confidence.

The Diamondbacks have big problems in their rotation beyond Gallen’s continued struggles to limit runs, whether he gets crushed or simply punished for not missing more bats.

When Gallen re-signed with the Diamondbacks, the club had major league starting pitching depth, and he was additive to that.

Now, they don’t, increasing the importance of Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez.

Corbin Burnes is no longer coming back around the All-Star Game, as a setback has pushed him to September.

Ryne Nelson and Michael Soroka went on the injured list within a two-day span on Friday and Saturday, and their IL stints will not be for the minimum 15 days.

Brandon Pfaadt is working his pitch count back up after the D-backs shortened him in the bullpen too much to start games at the moment. Pfaadt threw 52 pitches in a start on Saturday for Triple-A Reno and needs to get to 75-80 to come back.

The Diamondbacks have to replace 40% of their rotation without obvious solutions. They cannot afford having two of the worst ERAs in baseball among the pitchers who are supposed to be mainstays (5.81 ERA from Kelly).

“We’ve got to figure this out quickly. We’ve got several starting pitchers banged up right now. We need our boys to step up, and they will,” manager Torey Lovullo said.

As for the rest of Saturday’s game, the D-backs ended up scoring eight unanswered runs even after taking out several starters, including Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll.

Philip Abner did the dirty work by eating 2.2 innings in relief without allowing another run, and Ildemaro Vargas took on the role of position player pitching.

Overall, the Diamondbacks allowed 20 hits for the first time since June 13, 2023. They dropped to 39-37.

Attendance: 30,575

Related

Diamondbacks had Dodgers cornered, but they slipped away to set up season-series rubber matchNolan Arenado recognized for winning Diamondbacks’ Heart and Hustle AwardIn most playoff-like game of the year, Diamondbacks rookie Ryan Waldschmidt walks off DodgersMerrill Kelly has cramping issues resurface vs. DodgersD-backs OF Corbin Carroll leaps to unbelievably rob HR vs. DodgersMichael Soroka trending toward Monday return, Jordan Lawlar could be back during upcoming road trip