Zac Gallen throws 3 scoreless innings in D-backs’ loss to Rangers

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen took the mound for the second time this spring, throwing three scoreless innings in a 7-6 loss to the Texas Rangers on Saturday.

Gallen allowed just one hit, walked one and had three strikeouts on the day. The right-hander threw 46 pitches, 31 of which were for strikes.

“I thought his stuff looked very crisp, very sharp,” manager Torey Lovullo said via Zoom postgame. “He gives us three scoreless and he was executing pitches all the way up until the final one that he threw.

“So we continue to build on that and increase the pitches for his next outing he’s exactly where he should be. It was a very clean, solid outing from Zac.

Gallen was replaced by Riley Smith in the fourth inning, who then gave up three runs to the Rangers over two innings.

“I felt a lot better than the previous outing. Got it under control,” Gallen told reporters via Zoom. “Feel like I had control, command of all four or five pitches.

“Still just knocking the rust off though, but overall pleased with how I felt. … Good things to build on.”

The D-backs got on the board in the fifth when Ketel Marte scored off a single line drive by Eduardo Escobar.

Arizona started to gain momentum in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases on walks and adding a run off a sac-fly by Jose Herrera.

But that momentum was ultimately cut short when the Rangers chose to roll the inning after pitcher Jason Bahr met the 20-pitch minimum required to do so.

The Rangers added four more to their score in the top of the eighth, but the D-backs weren’t going to go down quietly.

Their bats came alive in the bottom of the eighth, rallying to score four. But unfortunately for the Diamondbacks, they fell just one run short on the day.

“Our young hitters with the type of plate discipline stood out to me today,” Lovullo said. “They were zoned up looking for one pitch in one spot. When they got it, they were getting that swing off and when they weren’t, they were taking it. …

“Our young hitters have been having very patient approaches and that’s something that stood out to me today — as well as the group that played in the game today having very productive at-bats as well.”

UP NEXT

The D-backs host the Chicago Cubs for a Sunday matinee with Merrill Kelly scheduled to get the start.

Catch all the action live at 1:10 p.m. on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

Follow @rachelgossen