Diamondbacks squander 3-0 lead, Zac Gallen quality start in loss to Giants

The Arizona Diamondbacks squandered a three-run lead in Tuesday’s 4-3 loss against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.

Giants (59-49) first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. blasted a middle-middle sinker from Miguel Castro over the wall in right in the seventh inning to take the lead.

D-backs (57-51) lead-off man Geraldo Perdomo singled to start the ninth inning, but he was picked off by catcher Patrick Bailey with two outs to end the game.

Patrick Bailey ends the game! 😳 pic.twitter.com/EurnQCoNhY

— MLB (@MLB) August 2, 2023

Starters Zac Gallen and Alex Cobb were rolling early, allowing a combined one run on five hits through the fifth inning.

The lone run was a solo shot by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to left field, his first home run since July 7 and third since the start of July. The D-backs could use a bounce-back month from their All-Star, who went 2-for-5 on Monday.

Gallen had six strikeouts at that point, and he stranded a pair of runners in scoring position. Cobb, who threw 7.1 scoreless innings against the D-backs earlier this season, allowed one hit until Gurriel’s blast in the fifth inning.

Zac Gallen's 6Ks thru 4. pic.twitter.com/Vx9eXebCY7

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 2, 2023

The long ball bit both pitchers in the sixth. Alek Thomas and Ketel Marte took Cobb deep, with Marte hitting his 100th career home run.

The D-backs had a 3-0 lead with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, but Gallen surrendered three straight hits: Blake Sabol’s single, Luis Matoss double and Brandon Crawford’s game-tying home run.

Neither starter went back out for the seventh.

Gallen’s line was six innings, seven hits, three earned runs, one walk and six strikeouts on 91 pitches.

He has allowed at least one home run in 10 of his last 11 starts after giving up two long balls over his first 12 starts this season.

The pitch to Crawford was a fastball up but in the zone that the veteran shortstop clubbed 420 feet.

Arizona’s offense, meanwhile, was largely silent outside the home runs with six hits and one walk.

San Francisco evened this four-game series after the D-backs won 4-3 in 11 innings Monday night.

Jace Peterson’s D-backs debut 

Third baseman Jace Peterson made his debut for Arizona after coming over in a trade with the Oakland Athletics on Monday. He hit seventh in the lineup and finished 1-for-3 with a single.

He was caught stealing second in the eighth inning with no outs on a dime by Bailey on a slider.

Patrick Bailey from his knees 🤯 pic.twitter.com/sH18vdoqgs

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 2, 2023

Austin Adams exits

D-backs reliever Austin Adams exited the game during the eighth inning after getting hit in the lower leg by a sharp grounder up the middle. He was helped off by trainers and replaced with Luis Frias.

Slade Cecconi’s MLB debut

D-backs prospect Slade Cecconi will start on Wednesday in his MLB debut. Cecconi was the No. 33 overall pick in 2020 out of Miami, and he’s spent the 2023 season with Triple-A Reno.

He had a 4.60 ERA in five starts during July with 22 strikeouts and three walks in 29.1 innings.

Arizona will face Giants ace Logan Webb (3.49 ERA).

First pitch is at 6:45 p.m. on 98.7, the Arizona Sports app and Arizona Sports.com. 

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