Diamondbacks' Drop Opener Against Braves Behind Familiar Struggles

The Arizona Diamondbacks fell to the Atlanta Braves 8-2 in the series opener between the two clubs. A lackluster offensive performance and continued pitching struggles now set the D-backs on the back foot going into an important three-game set between the NL rivals.

Zac Gallen started his outing strong, retiring the first two Braves hitters on only seven pitches. With two outs however he allowed back to back hitters to reach on walks. This drove his pitch count to 27 before leaving the first frame.

Things didn't go much better for reigning Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale in the first. The D-backs rallied against the tall lefty, loading the bases but once again failing to score. This did force Sale to throw 29 pitches but left the D-backs off the board.

In the top of the second a nasty trend continued for Gallen, that being his tendency to give up early inning runs. In 1st and 2nd innings combined through his first six starts of 2025 he had pitched 12 innings, allowing 15 runs for a 11.25 ERA. In that span he's allowed 19 hits and 10 walks.

The Braves knocked Gallen around, tallying four hits and three runs against the right-hander. This pushed him to the 59 pitch mark. With a tired bullpen, and little in terms of available pitching depth this set the D-backs back massively.

A pair of rookies helped the D-backs get on the board as Tim Tawa advanced Eugenio Suarez with a single, and Jorge Barrosa, in his first start of 2025, drove in Arizona's first run. Tawa's OPS now sits at an impressive 1.003 OPS in his first 39 at-bats, performing excellently in Ketel Marte's absence.

Back on the bump, Gallen gutted his way through five innings. At 103 pitches and three runs allowed his outing wasn't what the club was hoping for. He did, however, hand it off to a pair of young arms ready to eat the necessary innings.

Young flamethrower Juan Morillo relieved Gallen in the sixth, working well to pitch around two singles, but an errant throw with two outs from Eugenio Suarez allowed a run to score. Following the error, Morillo allowed another hit, plating the Braves' fifth run of the ballgame.

The recently-promoted Yilber Diaz entered in the seventh inning, pitching three frames but getting knocked around significantly. The organization's top pitching prospect struggled with command, missing by large margins consistently. While it wasn't the difference-maker in the game, Diaz's outing allowed Atlanta to take an 8-1 lead.

A small rally in the bottom of the eighth on consecutive doubles from Eugenio Suárez and Gabriel Moreno plated the Diamondbacks' second and final run of the ballgame.

The D-backs return to play on Saturday, April 26 at Chase Field, where the club will be giving away a free replica jersey. The game starts at 5:10 p.m. and will see Merrill Kelly take on Grant Holmes.