Zac Gallen stifles Marlins, leading Diamondbacks to series-opening win

Zac Gallen sprinted to first base, fielded a soft toss from Christian Walker and recorded his 21st out of the night. From there, he flipped the ball to Ketel Marte, jogged into the home dugout, dutifully shook Torey Lovullo’s hand and took a seat. There was no fanfare, no tip of the cap. Ho-hum, another day done.

Gallen, by many metrics the best starting pitcher in baseball thus far, is rarely interested in reveling in his own success. He allowed one run in seven innings Monday night, leading the Diamondbacks past the Marlins, 5-2. Yet afterward, he said, “I didn't feel particularly great, just had to make pitches.”

A deeper dive reveals why Gallen felt that way. He got just three whiffs on 46 off-speed pitches, his lowest tally of the season. “I didn't really have much semblance of an off-speed pitch, really,” Gallen said.

Gallen added that his fastball command was his saving grace on the night, helping him be effective without his best off-speed offerings.

“Just trying to command it in all four quadrants,” Gallen said. “That way I can disguise other pitches as opposed to relying heavily on a curveball or changeup that day. I just really had to command it, be smart about where I was using it.”

Even that, though, “was probably the least amount of command” Gallen has felt since his season got rolling back in his third start of the year.

So yes, this was Zac Gallen not at his best. And yet, the final line: Seven innings, five hits, one run, one walk, seven strikeouts. The ERA: 2.36. And the simple truth: He is the Diamondbacks’ best weapon.

Consider how Monday began. Just 24 hours earlier, they had suffered the most deflating defeat of the season, blowing a two-run ninth inning lead to the Nationals. Three of Lovullo’s most trusted relievers were taxed to the point of likely being unavailable. Margin for error was slim.

“One of those days where you're hoping for some good starting pitching,” Lovullo said. “You come to the ballpark, you know Zac is pitching. I think it gives everybody a very comfortable feeling, especially on a day where we were very, very thin in the bullpen.”

From the start, Gallen delivered. He rolled through four innings on 43 pitches. The fifth was rockier, with Jesús Sanchez driving home the Marlins’ lone run of the night. In typical fashion, Gallen responded to that with two strikeouts — a fastball up blown by Joey Wendle and a curveball in the dirt that fooled Jazz Chisholm.

On the offensive side, the Diamondbacks pummeled the ball, becoming just the second team of the Statcast era (since 2015) to hit a dozen balls 105 mph or harder. Christian Walker’s 459-foot home run was the second-longest by a Diamondback this year, behind only one at Coors Field. Gabriel Moreno had a three-hit day and three others had two hits.

And yet, the Diamondbacks did not solve the issues that plagued them in a turbulent series against the Nationals. They continued to struggle with runners in scoring position, going 3-for-15, failing to capitalize on a night that could have yielded far more than five runs. The bullpen, in its brief role, didn’t silence this weekend’s doubts, allowing a run on three hits.

But for one night, none of it mattered. Because for one night, they had Zac Gallen.

“When I'm driving to the ballpark, it's a good feeling,” Lovullo said “… Zac's right now in a class by himself. He's throwing the ball really well.”

Diamondbacks' Lourdes Gurriel Jr. obtains U.S. citizenship

The balloons at Lourdes Gurriel Jr.'s locker in the Diamondbacks clubhouse were there to congratulate the native of Cuba on obtaining his U.S. citizenship Monday.

Gurriel was not in the lineup for Arizona Monday against his brother Yuli and the Miami Marlins. He was excused from all pregame activity to finish the citizenship process.

"Pretty amazing accomplishment for him. We're certainly proud of him," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said.

Gurriel has three home runs in his last two games, Saturday and Sunday. He is 8 for 11 with four home runs, six runs batted in and four walks in his last three games.

Gurriel was expected to be with the team by game time and be available off the bench. Dominic Fletcher played left field in his place Monday.

—Jose M. Romero

Diamondbacks enjoy night of Suns playoff basketball

Sunday's game ran three hours and 18 minutes, so it took a quick shower and change of clothes plus a brisk walk from Chase Field up Fourth Street to Footprint Center for members of the Diamondbacks organization to get there in time for tipoff of Game 4 of the Suns' playoff game against Denver.

But, as outfielder Dominic Fletcher said, the group that included players and manager Torey Lovullo made it just in time. Players were seated in a suite for the game, and among those who attended were pitcher Merrill Kelly and infielder Josh Rojas (both Phoenix area natives), Fletcher, pitcher Ryne Nelson, catcher Gabriel Moreno and infielder Geraldo Perdomo.

Perdomo is a Lakers and LeBron James fan but, like many of his teammates, is supporting the Suns during their playoff run. Fletcher attended his first NBA game.

Lovullo suggested a ticket package for the next time the D-Backs and Suns are playing on the same day, back to back.

"Yeah, it was electric. It was fantastic. Yeah, you know I feel about it, right? I love the crossover. I support the Suns community any way I can. And it just lined up that we had a day game and they had a night game," Lovullo said. "So you know, I made a comment yesterday, it would have been great if we had, you know, for every Suns ticket 20 dollars gets your family into a ball game here and just give everybody in the valley a full dose of Phoenix sports, but it was great. It was an unbelievable atmosphere and they played great. They're well coached. (Suns head coach) Monty (Williams) is fantastic. And they have two really, really good players that are fun to watch, Booker and Durant."

—Jose M. Romero

Monday's Diamondbacks-Marlins pitchers

Marlins at Diamondbacks, 6:40 p.m., Bally Sports Arizona

Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (4-1, 2.53) vs. Marlins LHP Braxton Garrett (1-1, 5.81).

Gallen saw his scoreless innings streak end at 28 when he gave up a first-inning run last week in Texas, an outing in which he finished with three runs allowed in five innings. He called it a “clunker” of a performance. … Gallen owns a 47 percent whiff rate on his curveball and a 39.3 percent whiff rate on his change-up. … Gallen faced the Marlins on April 16, beating his former team for the second time in as many career starts. … Garrett had a 2.45 ERA over his first five starts but was bombed his last time out, giving up 11 runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Braves on Wednesday. … Garrett faced the Diamondbacks on April 15, allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings. … Garrett throws both a fastball and sinker in the 89-90 mph range along with a slider and curveball. He also includes the occasional change-up.

Coming up

Tuesday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (0-0, 13.50) vs. Marlins LHP Jesus Luzardo (2-2, 3.66).Wednesday: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (3-3, 2.75) vs. Marlins RHP Edward Cabrera (2-3, 4.78).Thursday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Tommy Henry (1-0, 5.17) vs. Giants RHP Alex Cobb (2-1, 2.01).

Sunday game recap: Diamondbacks can't close deal on series sweep, fall to Nationals

What to know about the Miami Marlins

The Marlins entered Sunday having lost five consecutive games and nine of their past 13, seeing their record drop below .500. The offense has averaged just 3.3 runs per game while the pitching staff has posted a 6.16 ERA in those 13 games. 2B Luis Arraez is hitting an incredible .430/.483/.533 through 120 plate appearances, with six doubles, one triple, one home run and more walks (11) than strikeouts (seven). DH Jorge Soler leads the Marlins with seven homers. CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. is off to a slow start, hitting just .223, though he does have five homers and a team-leading 11 steals. LHP Jesus Luzardo, whom the Diamondbacks are facing this week, has posted a 3.66 ERA in seven starts, striking out 43 in 39 1/3 innings. LHP A.J. Puk had a 0.75 ERA in his first 11 appearances but has allowed five runs (four earned) in his past two outings.

Pregame reading

Double trouble: Ketel Marte productive again from both sides of plate

One step closer: Prospect Kristian Robinson secures visa, nears return to minors

Throwback approach: Diamondbacks catcher Moreno's style helps him throw out baserunners

Former Diamondback in Japan: Trevor Bauer greeted by welcoming crowd as he wins first start

First-year report: MLB rookie class off to uneven start

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Zac Gallen leads Diamondbacks to series-opening win over Marlins