The Zac Gallen Situation Just Keeps Getting Uglier

Arizona Diamondbacks struggling right-hander Zac Gallen made his best start since June 14 on Tuesday night against the San Diego Padres. Unfortunately for Arizona, it was still a losing effort.

One game following the Diamondbacks' 8-0 blowout win over their NL West rivals, the pressure was on Arizona continue both their offensive momentum and their pitching success. The Diamondbacks could not accomplish either task on Tuesday night.

It began with the offense. The Diamondbacks loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning off Padres starter German Marquez. Instead of putting up a lopsided inning, all the D-backs came away with was a bases-loaded RBI walk by Max Kepler. They hit into a force out at home plate and an inning-ending line drive double play to second.

However, as disappointing a first-inning result as that may have been, Gallen still entered his first inning of work with a lead. That lead evaporated in two batters, then shrunk away in the distance of a brutal Padres outburst.

Zac Gallen throws uneven game vs Padres

Jul 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Gallen managed to work his way through six innings, and only allowed four earned runs. For a pitcher with a 6.36 ERA heading into Tuesday's game, the effort was enough to lower that ugly ERA by two ticks, down to 6.34. That is still the worst qualified ERA in the major leagues.

The problem was, all four of those runs came in the first inning, immediately erasing the lead Gallen was handed. He gave up a leadoff double and RBI single to the first two batters of the game, then with two outs issued a walk and a prompt three-run homer, spoiling his attempt at a Quality Start before the first inning even concluded.

To Gallen's credit, he settled in enough to throw five scoreless innings following. He just needed to get off to a less-ugly start. That's been the case all season, as Gallen entered Tuesday's start with a 7.50 ERA in the first inning of games, as pointed out by Diamondbacks On SI's Jack Sommers.

On a recent @SnakesTerritory podcast, I called for the D-backs to deploy an opener for Zac Gallen.

Coming into tonight he had these numbers in the first inning and they obviously just got a lot worse. https://t.co/vVXb4sdGly pic.twitter.com/2i91LAZ2Uw
— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) July 8, 2026

It may be time to start thinking about utilizing an opener, to get Gallen out of his first-inning woes.

At the moment, there is no obvious replacement option that could support a DFA or trade of Arizona's one-time ace, though left-handed prospect Mitch Bratt has made back-to-back scoreless starts in Reno, and has a 2.41 ERA in the immensely hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League environment.

But this has simply been the way Gallen's season has gone. Even in his stronger starts, there tends to be a single-pitch disaster — one that turns a good start into a losing performance.

Granted, Arizona's offense did not offer him much support Tuesday night. They came away empty with runners in scoring position in just four opportunities. But the inevitable fact is Gallen's inability to hold a first-inning lead amplifies the offense's struggles that much more.

Something has to give, eventually.

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