D-backs’ Zac Gallen earns NL Player of the Week amid scoreless streak

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen was named National League Player of the Week on Tuesday.

Gallen was stellar over his last two outings, going 2-0 with no runs scored and 14 strikeouts over 14 innings pitched. He also saw his active scoreless streak improve to 41.1 innings, good enough for second in team history behind only Brandon Webb (42). It marks the eighth-longest streak without a run scored in MLB history.

His first game of the week against the Philadelphia Phillies went off without a hitch behind seven innings of two-hit baseball and seven strikeouts.

Days later, he put up a near identical performance against the Philadelphia Phillies with two hits allowed and seven strikeouts registered over seven innings of work.

The last two outings have only added to Gallen’s strong play over the last month or so.

Since July 22, Gallen has picked up a win in six of his last eight starts. The two matchups he did not pick up a victory were no-decisions. Over that span, Gallen posted an impressive 0.61 ERA and struck out 63 batters to 12 walks.

Entering play Tuesday, Gallen sports the sixth-best ERA among MLB pitchers (2.42).

Gallen’s NL Player of the Week nod comes after fellow starter Merrill Kelly picked up the honor at the beginning of August. Kelly currently paces the team with 12 wins compared to Gallen’s 11. Gallen, however, sports a team-leading 2.42 ERA while Kelly sits in second with a 2.84 ERA.

The Diamondbacks are back in action Tuesday night against the San Diego Padres. First pitch is slated for 6:40 p.m. Tune to 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

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