Zac Gallen's Turning Point? How One Start Could Change the D-backs' Season
After weeks of struggles, Zac Gallen showed flashes of his ace form against the Giants. Here’s how his signature pitches returned, and why it might reshape Arizona’s trade deadline plans.
Zac Gallen entered July in search of answers on navigating a very tough season. Set to reach free agency after the season, the right-hander had a 5.75 ERA in 17 starts, posting his worst strikeout, walk, and home run rates of his career.
I previously published two entries here focusing on Gallen’s ineffective performances and an outlook on the Diamondbacks’ rotation. At that point, the team was going through a four-game losing streak and was badly outplayed by teams below them in the standings.
Sometimes, it can just take one start to turn it around. Gallen turned in a promising start against the Giants, allowing two runs (one earned) over seven innings, striking out 10. It marked his first quality start since June 3rd at Atlanta.
It didn’t start easily, as Gallen surrendered five hits in the first three innings, all with an exit velocity of 100 MPH or greater. Several middle of the plate cutters got ripped for line drives, and he made location mistakes with a slider and a couple of fastballs. It was looking like another poor Zac Gallen start, just 13 batters into the game.
However, he got a huge out to end the third inning that flipped the momentum of not only the game but the entirety of his start. Alek Thomas threw out Rafael Devers at home on a hard-hit Wilmer Flores single up the middle, thanks in part to a great tag by catcher James McCann at home plate.
“He got stubborn after a couple of runs there,” said D-backs manager Torey Lovullo on the postgame breakdown on DbacksTV. “At that point forward, it was aggressive stuff in the zone. He got in a really good rhythm with McCann. It seemed like there was a lot of swing-and-miss with not only the fastball in the zone but some secondary stuff. I think he did a great job of challenging hitters and just getting better as the night went on.”
Getting a morale boost thanks to his defense picking him up in a key moment, Gallen finished his night by retiring the next 12 hitters rather easily. He picked up his sixth win thanks to another offensive explosion in which the team scored eight runs between the fourth and sixth innings to blow the game open.
Zac Gallen’s Signature Pitches Highlight Turnaround vs. Giants
The most encouraging aspect of his start was how he was able to command his best two pitches: the four-seamer and the knuckle curve. Those two offerings accounted for 81 of his 101 pitches, showing the confidence he had in throwing them.
It has since come to my attention that Gallen re-introduced a sinker to his arsenal (H/T Marquee Sports Network and Pitching Analyst Lance Brozdowski). Looking back at the pitch data for the game, I noticed there were three “four-seamers” that had at least 9 inches of arm-side run.
It’s unclear how many sinkers he actually threw on the night, but it could open up his arsenal a bit more against right-handed hitters. Even accounting for that, I’d estimate he was still well above his typical usage pattern for the four-seamer and knuckle curve.
He was spotting his fastball in and around the zone, getting five whiffs and 16 called strikes on the four-seamer. His 38.1 CSW% (called strike plus whiff percentage) on the pitch, the highest since his start on April 2nd at Yankee Stadium.
By establishing the four-seamer in the strike zone, it opened up his signature putaway pitch ahead in the count. Gallen was able to get the Giants to continually chase his knuckle curve. He was locating it at the bottom and below the strike zone. The only curve he threw above the knees resulted in a called strike.
The Giants chased 13 of the 22 knuckle curves Gallen located outside the strike zone. All 22 pitches out of the zone were below the knees. The pitch accounted for eight whiffs, the third most he’s recorded in a start this season.
Gallen’s Performance Could Impact D-backs’ Deadline Plans
It can be easy to knock this performance simply for the fact that the Giants have been slumping of late. Over the last seven days, San Francisco has collectively posted a slash line of .204/.299/.317 (79 wRC+) as a team. That 79 wRC+ ranks 25th over that stretch. But the story of the game was less about how a slumping Giants squad failed to hit a struggling pitcher, but rather how a former All-Star Game starter rediscovered his top form.
With an ace-like performance, there is still hope that Gallen can continue to turn his season around. That will do wonders for not only making their starting rotation more effective but also improving the entire team’s psyche.
The team will have to ride or die with their current starting five. They’ve gotten some good performances from Ryne Nelson and Eduardo Rodríguez of late, and Merrill Kelly has been their best and most consistent starter all season. They bet on these five starting pitchers in 2024, and they’ll have to do so again.
If he’s truly close to his top form, it will completely change the direction the team will take next month. He has four more starts to prove that he’s still capable of being a top pitcher. If Gallen passes that test, it will convince D-backs GM Mike Hazen to invest in this club and acquire key reinforcements for the bullpen down the stretch. Then it becomes a run to get into the postseason.
As 2023 proved, anything is possible once you get in and are playing your best baseball at the right time.
Mike’s D-backs Report is a Substack-based publication created by Michael McDermott, who has covered the Arizona Diamondbacks and their farm system for over 10 years. Since this takes time and effort to produce, and paid subscriptions are currently turned off, I’m asking for your support to help keep this page going. If you’re able to leave a small tip, I’d truly appreciate it.