Diamondbacks Suffer One of Their Ugliest Losses This Season

This is one Arizona will want to forget.

Jun 20, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

It will go down in the loss column as the same number of losses (one) as a 4-3 or 2-1 affair. But it was significantly more agonizing to witness.

On Saturday night, the Arizona Diamondbacks lost in blowout fashion to the Minnesota Twins, dropping game two at Chase Field. A 16-8 final score hardly expresses the lopsidedness of the contest. It was ugly from the outset, and continued to worsen. The D-backs were out-hit 20-8.

Thankfully, Arizona made it through the night without anyone exiting with an injury — a fate they did not avoid on Friday. That, coupled with a late bout of garbage-time run production, served as the only redeeming qualities of a brutal game.

It began with another poor start by right-hander Zac Gallen — his worst of the season, in fact. But it continued to devolve from there.

Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen blown up by Twins

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen (23) walks back to the mound after giving up a a hit against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field in Phoenix, on June 3, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gallen entered Saturday's game with a 5.35 ERA that was already among the worst figures of qualified major league starters. It is now 6.10.

As it often has, Gallen's struggles began in the first inning of the contest. He gave up two runs on two singles, a ground rule double and a walk. He would escape further damage for two more innings, but was knocked around for a four-spot in the fourth. Gallen was bit for six singles and a walk, as the Twins increased their lead to 6-0.

Admittedly, there were some weakly-hit balls that found gaps. But the worst, somehow, was still to come.

Talk about getting nickel and dimed to death, what a tough inning for Zac Gallen.

Twins have 5 straight singles and lead this 5-0. pic.twitter.com/BjVMbcR2b9

— Alex Weiner (@alexjweiner) June 21, 2026

The fifth inning would be the knockout punch for Minnesota. Gallen began the frame with a triple, double and single. The score was 7-0 with runners at the corners and no outs, as Gallen exited to a chorus of boos from the Chase Field crowd.

He was replaced by newly-recalled righty Yilber Diaz, who added some more fuel to the fire. Diaz gave up a single, walk and grand slam to give the Twins a 12-0 lead, then proceeded to allow four more runs on three singles, a double and a triple. Two of those runs were charged to Gallen, who was stuck with nine earned for the first time in his career.

Left-hander Philip Abner had to finish the inning, as Diaz exited to seven earned runs in 0.2 innings. It was a 10-run fifth frame, in total. Infielder Ildemaro Vargas finished the game with two scoreless innings.

Diamondbacks scratch some runs across late

Diamondbacks second baseman Ildemaro Vargas (6) takes to the plate against the Angels during a game at Chase Field in Phoenix, on June 17, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A game that was once 16-0 offers little hope for a comeback. It also allows the opposition plenty of wiggle room in terms of execution. The Diamondbacks capitalized on that for two runs in the bottom fo the fifth and five runs in the seventh.

Jorge Barrosa hit a two-run homer — his second long ball of the year. In the eighth, Arizona loaded the bases; Geraldo Perdomo walked to score a run and Vargas cleared the bases with a double. Pavin Smith hit an RBI single to cap off a lopsided inning, and Geraldo Perdomo plated the D-backs' eighth run with an RBI groundout, but the deficit remained insurmountable.