Diamondbacks Banking on Another Good Zac Gallen Outing Sunday

The Arizona Diamondbacks play the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday in an attempt to salvage the third game of a three-game series. First pitch is 10:40 a.m. MST, and 1:40 p.m. EST.

The D-backs have had a hellish 48 hours as an organization and on the field. On Friday they found out Corbin Burnes would need to have season-ending Tommy John Surgery. On Friday night, catcher Gabriel Moreno and pitcher Cristian Mena were injured playing in a rain-suspended game.

Moreno was not able to play Saturday with a very sore hand and Mena ended up on the 15-day IL with shoulder inflammation.

When play resumed Saturday, the D-backs' bats were nowhere to be found, as they lost 4-3 in 10 innings, and then were crushed 13-1 in a blowout later in the evening. In 13 innings played on Saturday they scored only one run on eight hits.

They've also been without star outfielder Corbin Carroll for the first two games, save for a pinch-hit appearance Saturday, as he nurses an unspecified injury.

The D-backs slipped back to 5.5 games out of the third NL Wild Card position, trailing the Giants, Cardinals, Brewers, and Reds. It's a big letdown after sweeping the Braves in Atlanta. Now they'll just have to hope they can head back to Arizona with a winning record for their six-game road trip.

Pitching Matchup

RHP Zac Gallen, 4-7, 5.13 ERA, 4.54 FIP in 73.2 IP. Gallen is coming off one of his better starts this year, throwing seven innings and allowing three runs, but just one earned against the Braves on Tuesday in Atlanta. On May 7 last year he threw six shutout innings of one-hit baseball against the Reds in Great American Ballpark.

The D-backs sorely need a similar type of outing Sunday with a very depleted bullpen after Ryne Nelson went just three innings in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. It is up to Gallen now to step up and be the ace of the staff once more with Burnes out for the rest of the year.

RHP Brady Singer, 6-4, 4.66 ERA, 4.32 FIP in 63.2 IP. Singer lost his last start and has a 6.23 ERA over his previous six outings. He's had much more success pitching at home however, posting a 3.66 ERA in six home starts. The last time he faced the Diamondbacks was in 2023 as a Royal. He went six innings, allowing one run on five hits.

Singer will throw primarily a 92 MPH sinker, a slider, and a cutter mix. His ground ball rate is all the way down to 34% after posting a 49% rate for his career heading into 2025. League average is 42%. Becoming a fly-ball pitcher would seem to be the opposite of what you want to do in one of the most homer-friendly ballparks in the majors, but it's worked for him, so far.

Lineups

Check back later once lineups are available.

Bullpens

The D-backs used six relievers on Saturday, but didn't need to turn to either Shelby Miller or Justin Martinez. Both should be well rested. Juan Morillo, Jalen Beeks and Ryan Thompson worked in the first game and Kendall Graveman, Christian Montes De Oca and Jeff Brigham pitched in the second.

Expect roster moves Sunday morning. Montes De Oca was the extra pitcher and threw 46 pitches. Morillo walked three batters in an inning for the second straight game.

The Reds also used six pitchers on Sunday, including closer Emilio Pagan in the first game, but he only threw 11 pitches. Expect him to be available if the Reds have a save situation.

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