Zac

Gallen

The Diamondbacks are going to push back their entire starting rotation for some extra rest, starting with Zac Gallen on Sunday afternoon, amid a stretch of 17 consecutive games without an off day. It’s a tough break for fantasy managers hoping for a two-start week for Gallen, who will get the ball for Monday’s series opener against the Padres instead. The 35-year-old journeyman has done a nice job in four appearances since signing with Arizona back on June 15, but he can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

After a scoreless first inning, Gallen surrendered two runs in the ensuing frame on a solo homer by Willy Adames, followed by a double, error, and a groundout. He settled in afterwards to twirl five consecutive scoreless frames, striking out 10 batters in the impressive outing. The 29-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 5.45 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and a 98/42 K/BB ratio across 104 innings. Gallen will make his next start against the Royals in Arizona on Sunday.

Gallen didn’t have his best stuff today, with his velocity down about one mph. He got just six misses on 36 swings over 87 pitches, and he gave up homers to Andrew Benintendi and Lenyn Sosa. The loss leaves him 5-9 with a 5.75 ERA. He has some company in having nine losses, but the other four pitchers with at least that many are all pitching for last-place teams. There’s always the chance Gallen will bounce back, but with his strikeout rate down and his walk rate up, he seems droppable in mixed leagues at this point. He’ll make his next start at home against the Giants.

The Cubs seem to understand that the time is now to go all-in on a push for a title, with Kyle Tucker set to be a free agent in the off-season. That has led them to look for ways to upgrade a starting rotation that lost Justin Steele for the season. Rosenthal notes that Cabrera “would be a better financial fit” and the Cubs could even explore trades for Zac Gallen or Zach Eflin, since both players would likely cost less in terms of prospects and/or salary. What’s clear is that the Cubs should be players at the deadline in the starting pitcher market.

Gallen struck out five batters on the evening while allowing one base on balls. He had allowed just one run through his first three frames until the wheels fell off completely for him in the fourth inning. There, the Rockies scored six times including long home runs off the bats of Ryan McMahon and Mickey Moniak. He settled back in though and worked a scoreless fifth inning, allowing enough time for the Diamondbacks to answer back and put him in line for a victory.

Gallen held the Diamondbacks to just one run over six innings, but things fell apart in the seventh. He loaded the bases before exiting, and Ryan Thompson allowed all three runs to score to turn an excellent start into a middling effort. The control was shaky throughout the contest with four walks, but he did strike out six in an effort that was better than the box score suggests. it still pushes his ERA to 5.19, and Gallen will try and build on the good moments against the lowly Rockies on Friday.

Gallen gave up six hits, walked three and struck out five. The home run ball came back to bite Gallen in this one. All four of the runs he allowed came on three home runs by the Reds. In a tie game in the seventh inning, the two-run home run Gallen allowed to Matt McLain turned out to be the difference in the game. Gallen has a 75/36 K/BB ratio in 80 1/3 innings to go with a 5.15 ERA this year. He’ll face the Padres at home next weekend.

The 29-year-old right-hander punched out four batters on the evening while allowing only one base on balls. He served up a solo homer to Drake Baldwin in the fourth inning, then the Braves scratched out a pair of unearned runs later in the frame after an error by Eugenio Suarez had extended the inning. Gallen got 12 whiffs on 89 pitches on the night, registering a strong CSW of 36 percent. He’ll see if he can replicate this strong performance when he brings a 5.13 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and a 70/33 K/BB ratio (73 2/3 innings) into Sunday’s showdown against the Reds in Cincinnati.

Gallen tapped into the reserves to pitch out of a big jam, fueled by a Jordan Lawlar error, in the fifth. In retiring Andrew McCutchen, Bryan Reynolds and Alexander Canario with the bases loaded, Gallen threw five pitches at least 94.0 mph, topping out at 95.6 mph. He had touched 94 mph just once previously in the contest, and when he came back out for the sixth, there were no more 94s to be found. He gave up a walk and two singles then before being pulled, and the inherited runners came around to score in what turned into a five-run inning for the Pirates. Gallen has given up 19 runs over 21 1/3 innings in his last four outings, taking his ERA from 4.37 to 5.54. He was a little stronger today than the line indicated, but in addition to performing better himself, he needs the Arizona offense to get back to scoring more runs if he’s going to be useful in mixed leagues.

The 29-year-old right-hander struggled with his command in this one, issuing four walks while striking out four. Gallen threw just 55 of his 100 pitches for strikes on the evening. All of the damage done against him came in his final inning of work as he walked Ivan Herrera with the bases loaded and then gave up a three-run triple to Nolan Arenado, the final hitter that he faced. Gallen got 11 whiffs on the night, posting an underwhelming CSW of only 24 percent. He’ll attempt to bounce back as he carries a disappointing 5.25 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and a 63/29 K/BB ratio (61 2/3 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Pirates.