D-backs’ Zac Gallen arrives, will pitch in series vs. Phillies

PHOENIX — Zac Gallen is now with the Arizona Diamondbacks. It took him a couple days — he was playing for the Miami Marlins but was traded on Wednesday at the trade deadline.

He got a new uniform for his birthday, turning 24 on Saturday and joining his new team for the first time. Sporting a D-backs shirt and hat, he sat in the D-backs dugout at Chase Field and answered all the media’s questions with a friendly tone and mannerisms.

“I was super excited,” he said of the trade. “Talk about a team in the playoff hunt. I’m pumped to be around these guys. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the organization.”

Gallen knows a couple of people in the D-backs organization from their days with the Cardinals, including Carson Kelly, the Arizona catcher whom the team acquired in the Paul Goldschmidt trade.

Apart from that, there’s a lot of newness to Gallen’s new organization.

“I told them give me some time, learn everybody’s names. But everyone’s been super welcoming, so that’s been super nice,” he said. “Any time you get to a new place, you’re not sure how to feel. But the guys have been awesome so far.”

Gallen, a rookie right-hander who went to UNC, has a 2.72 ERA this year through the first seven starts of his MLB career. He joins fellow rookie starting pitchers Alex Young, Taylor Clarke and Merrill Kelly.

Manager Torey Lovullo announced Saturday that fellow newcomer Mike Leake will pitch on Tuesday and Gallen will pitch on Wednesday in a series against the Phillies at Chase Field.

“I welcome him to this family, I welcome him to this culture and what we have going on here,” Lovullo said. “We feel like he’s very special and as a young starting pitcher, he’s going be here and be a part of something we want to take to the next level. And he’s ready for that challenge, and he seemed like he’s very comfortable.”

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