Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen Spins Gem in Blowout Win vs Giants

Is this the start of a turnaround for Arizona Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen?

Jun 20, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen (23) delivers a pitch in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks won game two of their four-game series with the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday by a score of 8-2. Zac Gallen delivered his best start in nearly a month, and his offense belted four homers, offering him plenty of run support.

The Diamondbacks improve to 43-42, and the Giants fall to 45-41.

Arizona Diamondbacks Zac Gallen Finds His Rhythm

Gallen had not allowed fewer than four earned runs in a start since June 3. He had not completed the seventh inning since that start, either. On Tuesday, both of those facts changed.

Gallen delivered seven masterful innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits. He struck out 10 batters and did not issue a walk.

"This was clearly a day that was built around Zac Gallen and what he did, and the way he set the tone for us. He got very stubborn after a couple of runs in the second there," Manager Torey Lovullo said postgame.

"From that point forward, it was aggressive stuff in the zone. He got into a really good rhythm with McCann. And 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," Lovullo said.

Gallen's fastball looked much-improved. He was able to land the pitch for strikes in favorable spots, setting up his swing-and-miss curveball. He collected 16 whiffs — eight of which came on the curve, five on the fastball.

But it didn't begin smoothly. Gallen allowed a solo home run in the top of the second, then gave up a double.

An errant throw by Alek Thomas and a poor cutoff attempt by Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo allowed that runner to reach third. A groundout plated the Giants' second run, unearned by Gallen, for a 2-0 deficit.

Gallen would give up a double and single in the next inning, but Rafael Devers was thrown out at home on a nice tag by James McCann to end the inning.

"It was definitely a momentum-changer," Lovullo said of the play.

From there, Gallen would not allow another baserunner, as he set down 12 straight — a much-needed dose of confidence for the struggling righty.

"I felt like everything was working," said Gallen. "[Catcher James McCann] and I got on the same page pretty early.

Gallen said the veteran McCann called most of Tuesday night's pitches.

"For the most part, I feel like we were on the same page and we were mixing pretty well. ... I feel like when I'm at my best, the catchers and I are on the same page for the most part."

Gallen's deep start allowed the D-backs to preserve their struggling bullpen. Anthony DeSclafani threw two scoreless innings to close the game without dipping into the rest of Arizona's relief corps.

Arizona Diamondbacks Offense Smashes Four Homers

The D-backs' offense was mostly ineffective through the first three innings, but sprung to life in the fourth.

After two straight walks to open the frame, Jake McCarthy hammered a three-run shot to give Arizona a 4-2 lead. The ball traveled 422 feet, 104 MPH off the bat.

An inning later, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered for his second straight game, digging out a two-run homer to left field.

But the power surge wasn't done there. In the sixth, Randal Grichuk crushed a 453-foot blast to left-center. McCann then followed up with his first homer as a Diamondback, as Arizona went back-to-back for an 8-2 lead. Seven of Arizona's eight runs came via the longball.

McCann finished 1-for-2 with two walks. Grichuk was 2-for-4 with a double and a homer, and Perdomo went 2-for-5 with an RBI single.

The D-backs will go for the series win on Wednesday behind Merrill Kelly at 6:40 p.m.